Creamy Onion Soup

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

Introduction

This gutsy, richly flavored soup is wonderful in the fall and winter. Typically, onion soup is made with beef stock, but in this preparation we prefer to use a combination of beef and chicken stock, which lends a better balance to the flavors. If you prefer to save some calories, substitute plain low-fat yogurt for the whipping cream and omit the lemon juice. The yogurt will give the soup enough tang. Served with hearty bread and a salad, this makes a great fireside supper.

Ingredients

	¼	lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
	3 to 3½	lb. (5 large) yellow onions , peeled and chopped
	2	cloves garlic, peeled and minced
	3	Tbsp. all-purpose flour
	2	cups canned beef broth
	1	cup Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
	1	cup water
	1	tsp. salt
	~	Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (3 or 4 grinds)
	½	cup whipping cream
	1	Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Steps

In a 3½- to 4-quart heavy saucepan or Dutch over, heat butter over medium heat until melted. Add onion and garlic. Sauté, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low, cover pan, and continue cooking for an additional 25 minutes. Check frequently to be sure the mixture is not burning.
Turn up heat to medium high, sprinkle flour over onions, and stir to combine. (Make sure all lumps are smoothed out of flour.) Now add beef broth, chicken stock, and the water. Stir to combine, then add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Just before serving, add whipping cream and lemon juice. Taste the soup, and adjust the flavors by adding more salt or pepper, if desired.

Notes

Freeze any leftover broth for use in future recipes. Small quantities of broth are great to have on hand for stir-fry recipes.
This soup can be made 2 to 3 days before you are planning to serve it. Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.