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Caramelized Onion and Toasted Bread Soup

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 From 1 rating.

User Reviews

rating karadryan
Excellent. This soup was so comforting on a cold, rainy Sunday.

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Caramelized Onion and Toasted Bread Soup

  • make ahead MAKE-AHEAD
  • Vegetarian VEGETARIAN
  • staff favorite STAFF FAVORITE
TOTAL TIME: 50 MIN
SERVES: 8
This straightforward soup tastes much richer and more complex than it is because the toasted bread, sautéed onions and milk are so good together. "It’s a Big Love union between the bread, onions and milk," Pim Techamuanvivit says, referencing the HBO series about a polygamous family in Utah.
ingredients
  • 3 slices of white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch squares
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 large white onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups water, plus more for deglazing
  • 4 1/2 cups whole milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Crème fraîche and snipped chives or 1/4 cup of the Herbed Crème Fraîche Dip for garnish
directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the bread squares on a baking sheet and toast for about 10 minutes, until golden.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook uncovered until the onions are deeply golden, 30 minutes. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of water a few times during cooking to deglaze the pan.
  3. Add the toasted bread, milk and the 1 1/2 cups of water to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer over very low heat just until the bread is very soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
  4. Transfer the soup to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and pour into bowls. Garnish with crème fraîche and chives and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The bread and onion soup can be refrigerated overnight.

WINE With this rich soup, Pim serves a minerally Chablis like the coriander-inflected 2005 Joseph Drouhin Vaudésir Grand Cru, from one of the region’s great vineyards. The flinty 2005 Domaine Laroche Saint Martin is a more affordable substitute.