This Cider Onion Soup is a twist on traditional French Onion Soup. It uses hard apple cider instead of white wine, whole grain bread instead of baguette, and a bloomy-rind cheese instead of gruyere. It is sweet and luscious and warming and perfect for adding a cozy element to the fall and winter table.
Like all soups, this one is particularly delicious when made with Homemade Broth.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 lbs. onions
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. salt plus more to taste
- 1 cup hard apple cider
- 3 cups stock or water
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 12 crouton-size slices whole grain or rye bread
- 12 small slices Camembert or other bloomy-rind cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
- Peel and thinly slice onions.
- Melt butter in a medium or large heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften up. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring when you think of it and adjusting heat so onions are cooking but not at all browning, until onions caramelize and turn all deeply amber from the inside and taste sweet. Be patient, this will take up to an hour.
- Add cider and bring to a boil. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add thyme and reduce heat, and simmer soup for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt if you like.
- Meanwhile, toast slices of bread and top with slices of cheese.
- Ladle soup into 4 bowls and top each with 3 cheese toasts. Add pepper, if you like.
Makes 4 servings Cider Onion Soup.
