French Shallot Soup

Came across this on a food page, sounded good instead of onions.

French Shallot Soup

Total Prep and Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
7-8 large shallots, peeled and very thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 packages of beef Knorr Homestyle Stock + 8 cups of water (or 8 cups of low-sodium beef stock – you can also use vegetable stock to easily make this vegetarian)
1/2 cup white wine
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
4 thick slices of crusty bread, plus more for serving, if desired
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese (or any other similar cheese of your choice)
chives, sliced thinly, for garnish
1. In a medium sized pan or in the pot you are going to use for the soup, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium heat, then add in the sliced shallots. Cook for 20 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until the shallots are well caramelized and golden. Add in the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for a minute or so, until fragrant.
2. If you are using Knorr Homestyle Stock, add in 8 cups of water to your large pot and bring to a boil (you can do this in the pot if the shallots are already in there, as all the flavors will remain in the broth, so don’t worry about washing away any flavor). Add in your two packages of Knorr Homestyle Stock and whisk it into the boiling water until combined. Alternatively, you can simply add in 8 cups of low-sodium beef broth to the pot and bring it to a boil.
3. Once your broth is boiling, add in your wine, rosemary, and thyme, as well as a pinch of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Once the 30 minutes are up, taste, add more salt or pepper as desired, and divide into 4 oven-proof bowls. Set your oven to broil, and place 1 piece of thick bread on top of each bowl of soup, topped with about 1/4 of your cheese. Place the bowls under the broiler for 1-2 minutes or so, until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Use oven mitts to remove the soup bowls, place them on plates so that you don’t burn yourself, garnish with a few sliced chives, and serve.

Tagged as: bread, cheese, French, Gruyere, Knorr, onions, shallots, soup