French Onion Soup with a Twist

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

When it’s blisteringly cold outside and I’m running low on funds, a hearty soup is always the dish I go to first. And my favorite soup of all is French onion. The way the onions reduce to an almost meaty caramel and then get topped with cheesy bread –there’s nothing better.

I found myself without the usual dry sherry I use in making onion soup and in the spirit of changing up my routine, I grabbed the bottle of bourbon from my cupboard instead.

The warm caramel note of bourbon is the perfect match for the onions in this soup, and I’m surprised I’d never thought of the combination before. Spicy, sweet Worcestershire accents the dynamic duo, and the blue cheese on the toasts I used transformed this typical French soup into a more English incarnation.

Bourbon Onion Soup with Blue Cheese Toasts
Serves 4

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 sweet or yellow onions, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups beef stock or broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 slices country or sourdough bread
Blue cheese, to taste

1. Heat butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add both red and yellow onions, season generously with salt and pepper, and stir together; reduce heat to low, cover pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are reduced and soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Uncover pan, increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until onions begin to caramelize and brown. Be careful not to let the onions sit for too long or they will begin to burn. Once the onions are an amber brown color, add the bourbon, thyme and bay leaf, and cook, stirring, until the bourbon has evaporated. Add the beef stock and Worcestershire, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil, flipping once, until lightly browned and toasted. Add cheese on top of the toasts and return to the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese.
4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with two toasts each, or serve the toasts on the side.

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