Apple Cider French Onion Soup {Powernap}
This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.
Fall colds are not fun. Especially when you are pregnant. When I managed to come down with one last week I turned to all the home remedies I could find. Steamy cups of tea, clear soups, hot compresses – you name it, I did it. Since my taste buds were pretty much on the fritz one of the soups I made, for both its restorative benefits and the strong flavor, was this homemade Apple Cider French Onion version. I’ve been all about oniony flavors lately and I knew this rich, brothy soup full of pungent onions and a hint of apple cider would lend the helping hand I needed.
While my daughter was at school the onions slowly caramelized on the stove-top as I caught up on some magazine reading. Then, I brought it to a boil and let it simmer quietly while took a much needed nap. Since there was no dairy in the broth I just let the pot rest on the stove until it was ready to be reheated for dinner time. For serving I decided to skip the traditional heavy baked-on cheese cap. Instead, I broiled two slices of country bread with some gruyere cheese and rested them on top of our soup bowls come serving time. While the soup wasn’t any sort of miracle cure for my cold, it certainly provided the comforting restorative effect I was looking for. Hot and flavorful, with just a hint of natural sweetness from the cider, it very nearly made me feel like new again.
Recipe
Apple Cider French Onion Soup
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
| 4 | tablespoons unsalted butter |
| 5 | medium yellow onions, thinly sliced |
| 5 | cups low-sodium beef broth |
| 2 ½ | cups apple cider |
| 1 | pinch kosher salt |
| 4 | slices country bread |
| 8 | thin slices of Gruyere cheese |
Instructions
1. Place a large pot on the stovetop and bring to medium-low heat. Add the butter and onions and allow the onions to soften and caramelize until a dark brown color. Stir the onions every few minutes so they don’t burn.
2. Once the onions are soft and caramelized add the beef broth, apple cider, and a pinch of salt and bring the mixture to a boil for one minute. Then, reduce the soup to a low simmer and allow the soup to simmer for an hour, skimming the top as necessary.
3. Before serving turn the broiler to High. Lightly butter the slices of country bread on both sides and place on a cookie sheet. Allow the bread slices to broil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown. Do not leave the bread unattended because it can burn quickly! Then remove the bread and place two slices of cheese on each slice. Return it to the oven, cheese side up, and broil for another 2 minutes, or until the cheese is melted completely and bubbling. Again – don’t leave the oven – watch it carefully!
4. Ladle the soup into soup bowls and serve with bread slices.
Naptime Notes
Naptime Recipe Serving ideas
This easy soup was all we needed for dinner, but it would be more substantial if paired with some grilled sausages or slices of ham.
Naptime Stopwatch
10 minutes prep time, 2 hours cook time (including caramelization)
Naptime Reviews
This is our new favorite version of french onion soup!
[…] soup. You’ll love the flavor and hopefully it will help you feel better like it did for me!Click here for the Apple Cider French Onion Soup recipeRead more from source:“www.babble.com”apple cider french onion soupAnd here is for the […]
I made this soup yesterday. Wonderful! The only thing I did differently was to make my own beef broth from some beef shank bones.
Hi Rebecca,
I am so glad. I LOVE the idea of the homemade beef broth!
I made this recently and it was delicious. I’ll be posting my photo and write up of it tomorrow on my site. Thank you so much for such a delicious and unique recipe 🙂
I am really glad. I look forward to seeing your post!
Best,
Kelsey
SO excited to have found this, I have a recipe calling for canned onion cider soup and since I am on an anti candida diet the canned version does not fit the bill. I have to just sub out the butter and omit the bread and cheese but I am so optimistic this will work in my recipe! Thanks for the post!
Oh and I LOVE the Naptime Chef name! I totally feel that way! Naptime is cooking time!
Haha! We are all in the same boat!