One-Pot French Onion Soup With Porcini Mushrooms

Name: One-Pot French Onion Soup With Porcini Mushrooms
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: american, french
Ingredients: 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 large yellow onions (about 3 1/2 pounds), halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices; Kosher salt and black pepper; 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; 1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup dry white wine; 2 large fresh thyme sprigs; 1 fresh or dried bay leaf; 2 quarts homemade beef stock or store-bought chicken stock; 1 to 2 tablespoons veal, beef or chicken demi-glace or stock concentrate (optional); 6 (3/4-inch-thick) slices sourdough, peasant or other good-quality bread (about 8 ounces), toasted; 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère (about 4 ounces); 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)

By Susan Spungen

Total Time: 2 hours
Rating: 4(1,948)
Comments: Read comments

This version of the classic French soup simmers and bakes in a Dutch oven, while the toast broils right on top. Dried porcini mushrooms, fresh fennel and leeks provide deep umami flavor. Unless you have homemade beef stock on hand, go with a good chicken stock rather than boxed beef stock, which tastes mostly of salt. You could opt for vegetable stock for a vegetarian version, but skip the demi-glace, in that case. The preparation of this soup is time-consuming, but the flavor is well worth the effort. You can make the soup through Step 5 up to two days ahead of time. When ready to serve, reheat on the stove then continue with the final baking step for a hearty communal feast.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

1ounce dried porcini mushrooms
4tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons olive oil
4large yellow onions (about 3½ pounds), halved and cut into ¼-inch slices
Kosher salt and black pepper
1large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1large or 2 small leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2tablespoons all-purpose flour
1cup dry white wine
2large fresh thyme sprigs
1fresh or dried bay leaf
2quarts homemade beef stock or store-bought chicken stock
1 to 2tablespoons veal, beef or chicken demi-glace or stock concentrate (optional)
6(¾-inch-thick) slices sourdough, peasant or other good-quality bread (about 8 ounces), toasted
1½cups grated Gruyère (about 4 ounces)
¾cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a small saucepan with about 2½ cups water to a boil over high and place mushrooms in 2-cup glass measuring cup. Pour boiling water over the mushrooms to fill the cup (a little less than 2 cups) and set aside.
Step 2
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in oil and onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Turn heat up to medium-high, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
Step 3
Add fennel and leeks, season again, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
Step 4
Remove lid, increase heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the buildup on the bottom of the pot threatens to burn. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 5
Scoop the mushrooms out of their liquid, reserving liquid and chop mushrooms finely. Add chopped mushrooms, wine, thyme sprigs and bay leaf to the pot. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until wine is mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add reserved mushroom liquid to the pot, pouring the liquid slowly and discarding the last few drops of liquid, which may contain grit. Pour in the stock and demi-glace, if using, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any residue. Reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Fit the toasted bread on the surface of the soup in an even layer, breaking them up as needed to cover the surface. Sprinkle with the Gruyère and Parmesan. Set the Dutch oven on a baking sheet and bake in the middle of the oven until the cheese is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Heat oven to broil and continue cooking until cheese is melted and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,948 user ratings

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Comments

boognish6 years ago

A really good recipe. I used fresh mushrooms instead of dried and toasted the bread rounds with cheese separately, so the soup didn't get soggy bread in it. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a tee and it was absolutely delicious.

Courtney6 years ago

This was delicious and simple to make. The long simmering times allowed for a cozy, lazy Saturday afternoon with the aroma of fennel and onions pleasantly wafting through the entire house. They don't have dried mushrooms at my grocery (one drawback of living in small-town Wyoming), so I used fresh. I also used red wine instead of white, because that's what I had. Both turned out great, so while I'm sure the recipe as written is just as delicious, I'd happily substitute them again next time.

Jeanne Keller6 years ago

I am now at "simmering to meld flavors" stage, & the smell is heavenly. My only problem is that after the 30 minutes of cooking covered, vegetables were loaded with moisture and I simply could not get them to "brown deeply," in fact, not at all before the fond developed and threatened to burn. I transferred them to a saute pan to attempt browning. Next time I would take the lid off 5-10 minutes before the browning phase, to evaporate off a good amount of the moisture, to allow for decent color.

Jennifer4 months ago

Delicious. I would slice the bread very thin for a crouton effect. I blended the soup but next time will try it without blending. Could try a sprinkle of herbs on top when serving.

LO in Indy5 months ago

Tasty comfort food for a snowy day. Easy to make and even better after it sits. I did not have leeks, but otherwise made it as written. Chopped fine, the porcini is did not dominate the flavor, but added to the savoryness. At first I thought it was too sweet, but as it sat the flavors melded. Thanks NYT!

Anthony5 months ago

Exquisite! Delicious, savory, cheesy, hot. You will not miss restaurant-style French Onion Soups with this recipe. Use your gut feeling on cooking times for onions. I went 20 minutes over the recipe and I still could have gone more. Also, 6 servings is more like a side than an entree in my household, so plan accordingly.

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