French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

4 large or 6 medium onions, quartered, and sliced ¼” thick
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of beef broth
1 cup of red wine (or additional broth)
1 tsp dried sage (or thyme)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
Croutons or homemade Croutes ** (simple recipe below)
Gruyere cheese (or Provolone or Mozzarella)
Paprika (optional)

**Croutes are crispy, toasted rounds of French, Ciabatta or other crusty bread you can make in about 15 minutes. They are the authentic bread topping for real French Onion Soup and they hold their shape in the soup MUCH better than store-bought croutons. Try them. They're easy. I’ll tell you how to make them at the end of this recipe.

Directions:

Press Saute and add the olive oil and butter. When it's sizzling hot, add the sliced onions and the sugar. The sugar will help caramelize the onions and greatly improves the flavour. Saute, stirring frequently, for 10 -15 minutes. You want the onions to be golden brown and translucent. The onions will reduce in volume to about half of what they were.  When they are nicely browned, hit the Cancel button and immediately add the garlic. Stir for a minute while the pot is cooling.

Add the beef broth and thoroughly deglaze the pan: use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add all other ingredients except the croutes, cheese and paprika. Close the lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Push the Pressure Cook (or Manual) button. Adjust time using the + or - button to get to 7 minutes.

When it beeps that it's done, flip the valve from Sealing to Venting for a quick release. Important: prepare to salivate. When the pin drops, remove the lid.

Now is the time to turn your oven on to Broil. The rack should be about 8 inches below the broiler element. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Put the oven-safe bowls or crocks on the baking sheet and ladle soup to about ½ inch from the top of the bowls.

Place one croute (or a few croutons) on each serving and cover with a generous amount of cheese. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of paprika and put them in the oven. Broil for a few minutes until lightly browned and bubbly. Watch them like a hawk.

**Croutes:

These are a snap to make and SO much better in this soup than croutons. They hold their shape in the soup instead of becoming rather boggy and sad, as Eeyore would say.

Slice a loaf of French bread or Ciabatta into ½” slices and brush with olive oil or melted butter on both sides. Place on a rack over a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.