Thank you to those who joined our live Zoom class hosted by Chef Brother Luck at the beginning of this month. His take on french onion soup was oh-so-savory. Featuring our “La Salle Shallots,” get ready to delight your tastebuds and elevate such a classic.

yields: 4 - 6 servings prep: 10 minutes cook time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs shallot onions (at least 10)
3 oz unsalted butter
fresh thyme
2 bay leaves, dried
1 cup Chardonnay (with a bottle left to enjoy while cooking … just saying)
1 quart beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp Worcestershire
sliced Gruyere cheese (full block)
Parmesan cheese, grated (small amount)
baguette
kosher salt
black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

This soup is probably one of the most simple creations you could make ~ but it takes your full attention to caramelize these shallots.

Start by peeling your “La Salle Shallots.” Be careful to not hurt their delicate skin. Handle these beauties gently. Once you’ve peeled at least 6+ shallots, cut off their tips (not the head of the shallot). Now Brother Luck gave us a great tip here. You’ll halve the shallots, so they can lay flat on your cutting board. Then slice! For more tips on slicing shallots, check out our 101 Guide to Shallots.

Heat a large dutch oven or pot on medium-high heat to start melting your butter. You’ll then add all your shallot slices to the pot. Here is the most important step to mastering this recipe. One our family completely messed up during the cooking class ha! For the next 15 minutes or so, stay by your pot and continually stir those shallots. This is vital to caramelizing them beautifully. You don’t want a chance of them burning. If you’re busy, and can’t stand here by the stove the entire time, don’t sweat it. We really burned our shallot slices, and the soup was still amazing.

Now after the shallots have really softened and begun caramelizing in your pot, you can start adding all the fun ingredients. Like Chardonnay. If you haven’t already drank your entire bottle :) Make sure to turn down the heat on your stove first and slowly add in. Give it a few moments, and then you can turn your heat back up.

I think now is also a great time to add in your fresh thyme with some dashes of salt and pepper.

Add in your beef and chicken stock slowly, making sure the soup is thickening. Don’t add too much to where it’s watery. Slow and steady wins the race in this recipe. Add in your Worcestershire sauce, as well as your bay leaves for that extra flavor.

Now turn your stove’s heat to low, and allow the soup to simmer while prepping the baguette and cheese. The best parts really. You’ll want to slice your baguette into small slices and toast these a bit on a skillet with some butter.

Turn on your oven to Broil.

Now is also a great time to grate your parmesan cheese, as well as slice the Gruyere cheese. Big slices work really well here.

It’s finally time to assemble this delicious soup. Using oven-safe bowls, pour your simmered shallot soup into each bowl after adding some salt & pepper to the pot and stirring it all together. Place a toasted baguette slice in each one. Place 1-2 slices of the Gruyere cheese in each and top with a little parmesan. Add these bowls to the oven, and you’ll cook for a just a few minutes to melt all the wonderful ingredients together. That is how you make french onion soup ~ elevated to delicious, gooey French “La Salle Shallot” soup. Enjoy ~