Oh, I meant to comment on this, too. I found the same thing. I used to use Vidalias, an onion I don’t normally like, for French onion soup thinking its inherent sweetness would make it better. One day I switched over to Spanish yellow onions and found that, when caramelized, they had a much richer flavor with as much or more sweetness than Vidalias. I don’t know, but Vidalias are just insipid to me. I’ve never tried to do this soup with red onions, though, so I’m curious how that would come out.
I also am not a fan of the Alton Brown recipe. The cider just makes it way too sweet. I like my French onion soup the standard way, made either with beef stock or even just plain water. Reading the comments on the Alton Brown recipe is amusing, though, with all the people who apparently didn’t realize there’s a difference between apple cider vinegar and apple cider. You’d think you’d double check before pouring in over a cup of vinegar into 8 servings worth of soup, especially a soup that is not known for being sour.
I thought the ham cordon bleu looked like it might actually be good. They used a pretty nice ham. Anyhow, for me, it’s the fast food lasagna that surpasses over-the-topness.
ETA: Oh, god, I just watched their Chili Four Loko. shudder
I’m gonna try this recipe tomorrow, I translated the OP into a more traditional recipe format for anyone who wants to print and save:
QtM French Onion Soup
4lbs yellow onions, sliced thinly
PAM cooking sprain
3tbsp unsalted butter
1tsp salt
3/4cup room temperature water (divided)
1/2 cup cooking sherry
2.5 cups beef consummé
4 cups chicken stock
6 springs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 baguette sliced into ½ inch rounds
8oz gruyere cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 400F
Place onions, butter and salt in a well greased dutch oven and bake for 2hrs 45min, stirring every 45-60min
Place the dutch oven over medium heat, uncovered, for 20 more minutes. Deglaze with ¼ cup water x 3, and a forth time with the cooking sherry, reducing over 10-15min each time
Add the consummé, chicken stock and herbs and simmer on low for 45 minutes
While simmering, toast the baguette slices.
Spoon the soup into 4-6 soup crocks, top with the toasted baguette and a generous amount of cheese and broil in the oven for 4-5 minutes until browned and bubbly. Cool for 4-5 minutes, serve hot.
Inspired by this thread I purchase 6Kg of onions and threw in the ones I already had at home - another 0.6Kg.
Reduced them for a couple of hours in a stockpot until they would fit in my largest casserole dish and bunged them in the oven, gas mark 4-ish.
That was ten hours ago and they are still stewing away. Have not added any water, they are stewing in their own juice still.
Have reduced the oven to it’s “S” setting and going to leave it there overnight. Will be interesting to see the outcome, could be the most expensive culinary disaster yet.
Anyhow, for me, it’s the fast food lasagna that surpasses over-the-topness.