Please enjoy this Cheddar and Beer Onion Soup recipe from the “I Could Eat This Every Day!” video that was recently published on my YouTube channel. The soup was inspired by one that I was served at Ye Olde Tavern in Manchester, Vermont. It is deeply flavored with caramelized onions, dark beer (the restaurant made theirs with amber ale), and a splendid lid of toasted baguette rounds and melty Cheddar cheese. A better main course soup does not exist. Please don’t make me beg you to try it!
Cheddar & Beer Onion Soup
A spectacular brew of caramelized onions and dark beer beneath a lid of toasted baguette and melty Cheddar cheese. Truly a feast for the nose and taste buds!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- A heavy pot or Dutch oven
- Oven-proof soup bowls
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 medium-size yellow or white onions, thinly sliced
- 1 generous tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (500g) chicken stock
- 2 cups dark beer, such as Murphy's Stout
- 1 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the crouton-and-cheese topping:
- Half-inch-thick rounds from a baguette (1 or 2 rounds per serving)
- A drizzle of olive oil for each baguette round
- A sprinkling of dried oregano for each baguette round
- A generous sprinkling of shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
Making the soup:
- Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. When the butter melts, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn caramel-brown -- about 30 minutes.
- Stir the flour into the onions. Cook, while stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Stir in the chicken stock, beer, Herbes de Provence. and the salt and pepper.
- Over high heat, bring the soup to a full boil while stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let simmer quietly for 30 minutes.
Preparing the baguette-and-cheese topping:
- Put the baguette rounds on a baking tray, and give them a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of oregano. Then top each round with a generous pinch of the shredded Cheddar cheese.
- Place the tray about 10 inches below the oven's broiling element. Broil until the bread crisps and the cheese melts -- about 1 minute.
Assembling the soup:
- Heat the oven to 200°F (90°C). Ladle the soup in oven-proof soup bowls or proper French Onion Soup bowls. Top with the toasted baguette rounds and as much additional cheese as you dare.
- Put the soups on a baking tray, and let them warm in the oven until the cheese melts -- about 2 minutes. (The soup can be kept warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.) Serve and enjoy!
charmaine donohue says
I will eagerly be trying this one! Is a stout beer like Guinness a good choice for this, Kevin?
Margo says
The stout I used was very strong! I used less than the recommended amount. It still tastes bitter to me. It hasn’t simmered the final 30 minutes so I’m hoping some of that will cook off later. Do you haveany recommendations if it’s too bitter after completed cooking time.
Thank you so very much in advance for your assistance! Warmest regards, Margo