French Onion Soup with Gruyere Mustard Croutons

It's Soup Season! And I can't think of a more comforting bowl of cheesy, melty, brothy goodness than this French Onion Soup. It's not just your average cup of FOS, either. This takes a bit of time, but trust me when I say- you will never want to make another kind. It's filled with a variety of alliums and there's such a depth of flavor developed while cooking. Plus the Creme Fraiche adds a bit of creaminess... but then richness is all cut with the tanginess of the grain mustard! (I'm getting hungry just typing this! haha) Enjoy and be sure to let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

6 Large Yellow Onions, sliced thinly

2 Shallots, sliced thinly

2 Leeks, Halved and rinsed well, sliced thinly

1 Fennel Bulb, sliced thinly

3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced

4 cups Beef Stock

4 Tbsp. Salted Butter

1-2 sprigs of fresh Thyme

2 Bay Leaves

2 Tbsp. Worchester Sauce

¼ cup Dry Cooking Sherry

8 oz. Crème Fraiche

1 Loaf Crusty, Artisan Bread

2 Tbsp. Whole Grain Mustard

8 oz. Block of Gruyere Cheese, freshly grated

1. In a large Stock-pot, heat butter on medium until frothy. Add the onions, shallots, leeks, garlic and fennel. Stirring occasionally, to reduce and "melt" everything down without browning. This takes time, 30 minute minimum. Season with Salt and Pepper.

2. Once the Alliums are tender, add the Bay Leaves, Thyme, Worchester, Sherry and let cook off and reduce for about 5-10 minutes. Next, add the Beef Stock and simmer on low heat for a minimum of one hour. The longer this soup simmers the better, to allow the flavors to marry together. **Check the seasoning at this point to see if you need to add more Salt and Pepper to your liking.

3. When you are about 30 minutes away from wanting to serve, add the Crème Fraiche and simmer for another 20 minutes while you prepare croutons.

4. Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices. In an oven preheated to 400 degrees, lightly toast the bread on both sides. About 3-4 minutes per side. Next, remove the croutons and add a layer of Whole Grain Mustard and a generous amount of Gruyere to each slice. Return them back to the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Ladle soup into bowls and top with 1-2 Coutons. Enjoy!

Tips for this recipe:

1. I prefer Whole Grain Mustard but Dijon or German Mustard would work great too. Adding the mustard gives the dish notes of vinegar and sour to cut through the richness of the cheese and broth.

2. Any hearty bread will do; Sourdough Boule, French Baguette, Artisan Loaf. Just as long as you can slice it relatively thick about 1" and it has a nice crust. This will ensure that it doesn't soak the broth of the soup and get soggy too quickly.

3. This soup freezes beautifully! You can leave out the Creme Fraiche and freeze it, then when you go to make it next time just add it to the pot before serving.

4. I have used this French Onion Soup as a braising liquid for Beef Short Ribs and it is amazing! So if you find yourself with leftovers and don't want to fill your freezer up, try being creative and reach out for recipe ideas!

5. You can easily make this recipe Vegetarian. Substitute Beef Stock for Mushroom or Vegetable Stock. And as always, homemade is best but store bought stock works great too!

I hope you love this soup and please share your feedback in the comments below! Also post pictures on my social media pages using hashtag #saltsandseasons Enjoy!

-Alexandra