French Onion Soup + Garlic Bread. You might think this is some crazy concotion but LET. ME. TELL. YOU. The magic is in the caramelised onion; it adds an amazing umami sweetness to your garlic bread which makes it so delicious and more-ish. You must try this recipe out, trust me it’s too good to miss out.

There are 3 main components to this dish: The onion, garlic butter and bread.

1. The onions: I know caramelising your onions can feel like a process that takes a whole eternity but wait! I have a hack for you! If you add water to the onions and boils it down first then it cuts down on the time. Boiling it down makes it go softer quicker, releases all its sugars quicker and therefore allowing you start the caramelising process.
2. Garlic Butter: it’s butter, garlic, parsley, salt and pep; do i need to say more?
3. Bread: highly recommend some sort of crusty Italian bread. I used Pane di Casa but you can use any crusty bread you have on hand or is available to you.

Ingredients

1 loaf of crusty bread (i used pane di casa)
Gruyere cheese, grated

French Onion
4 medium onions, sliced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup beef stock
3-4 sprigs thyme

Garlic Butter
3-4 tbsp butter, softened
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
parsley, chopped finely

Method

1. French Onion: In a pan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil, add in your onion slices, 1/3 cup of water, salt and pepper. Cover and bring it to a boil. This hack allows your onions to soften and the process of caramelisation to start quicker.
2. Once the onions are soft, uncover, let the water evaporate and stir frequently until the onions are caramelised (should take around 30 minutes). Add in the red wine vinegar and white wine and stir to cook off the wine and allow it to evaporate. Add in the beef stock and thyme and again, stir to evaporate. Remove the thyme, and set aside to cool.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F on broil/grill setting.
4. Prepare you garlic butter but combining all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
5. Cut your bread in half length-wise. We’ll only be using 1 half, save the other half for another recipe/croutons/sandwiches etc.
6. Spread the garlic butter mixture onto your bread evenly and broil for around 5-10 minutes or until it’s slightly golden.
7. Top your slightly toasted bread with the French Onion mixture and grated cheese. Broil for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh thyme leaves. Cut and serve