Short Cut French Onion Soup |
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Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes |
Ready In: 20 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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When the weather is brisk I love a bowl of onion soup topped with a toasted crouton and melted cheese. The usual cheese is a Swiss one like Emmenthal or Gruyère. But the secret to this preparation is to use Comté, a French cheese. You may have to hunt around to find it and it's more expensive than the Swiss cheeses, but it has a wonderful taste and a delightfully stringy texture when melted. I owe this discovery to Toronto Star food writer Amy Pataki. I like to eat this dish right away, so instead of taking the time to make the onion soup from scratch, I use a canned variety. Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) can of ready-made onion soup |
1 roll of crusty french bread or 1 baguette |
100 g comte cheese |
30 ml cognac (optional) or 30 ml kirsch (optional) or 30 ml whiskey (optional) |
Directions:
1. Prepare the onion soup according to the can directions.
2. Cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices shaped to fit into the top of an onion soup bowl. Toast on both sides.
3. If desired, stir an alcohol based spirit into the soup (my favourite is cognac).
4. Ladle the soup into two onion soup bowls. Top with toasted rounds.
5. Spread grated cheese on top of the toast; place under broiler.
6. Broil until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.
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