Savory Green Smoothie

French Onion Soup

All the things you savor about French onion soup, deeply caramelized onions, rich broth, and crunchy cheese toast, can come together more quickly thanks to a bit of baking soda to speed up the onion caramelization. 

Directions

Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onions and baking soda; cook 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every few minutes.  Continue cooking about 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan often and lowering the heat, as needed, until the onions are very soft and a deep golden brown. 

Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add wine and cook until evaporated.  Stir in broth, thyme and bay leaves and bring just to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat broiler with rack in the upper third of the oven.  Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. 

When the soup is ready, broil toasts until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove thyme stems and bay leaves and serve soup topped with the toasts and sprinkled with parsley, if desired.