French Onion Soup

Nuts and Bolts:

French Onion Soup is essential in my pantry because it is one of those comfort foods that I need when I feel a little under the weather. I like to can it, so it's around for lunch or a simple dinner. All you need is the bread and some cheese. If you have oven-safe soup crocks, it is fun to make it look like it comes from a fancy French restaurant by adding French bread and melting cheese on top of it.

My thoughts on French Onion Soup:

1. This soup must be pressure canned.

2. Do not be afraid of the amount of onions. It cooks down into a wonderful soup.

3. This recipe will yield approximately 8-pint jars or 4-quart jars.

4. Canning Risk factor Low. This recipe is from The All-New Ball Book of Canning And Preserving.

Method: 

Before you begin the recipe, prepare your canning equipment and your kitchen; see Canning 101 and Canning 201 for more tips for your mess.

For this recipe, you will need 1 Tbsp, butter, 4 lb. onions, thinly sliced, 1 Tbsp. Salt, 1 tsp. Ground black pepper, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 3 cups dry white wine, divided, 3 qt. (3 L) beef bone broth, or commercial canned chicken, beef, or vegetable stock.

 I like to start my recipe by measuring out all the ingredients except for the onions. Next, I slice them on a mandolin to ⅛ of an inch thick. Then I weigh out my cut onions until there are 4 pounds of onions.

Important Tip: It is a lot of onions, do not worry. If they start to overflow the pot, they will cook down. As they cook down, they will lose their bitterness and sweeten. Giving the soup its sweet onion flavor.

This is four pounds of sliced onions ready to go into the pot.

Important tip: Pot selection is essential in canning. Do not use a cast iron pot. It will leave a rust flavor in the canned food. It is best to use a stainless-steel pot or an enameled Dutch oven. I prefer the enameled Dutch oven to prevent the onions from cooking too quickly and getting too dark in color. 

Next, melt butter in your 8-qt—Dutch oven (Stainless steel or enameled) over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in onions, salt, pepper, dried thyme, and 2 cups of wine. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour or until the onions are tender and start to brown. I tend to let it go for 20 minutes, then after that, stir and check more frequently to avoid burning the onions.

The stages of the onions browning: Left: the cut onions, Middle the onions at about 20-minute mark, Right, the onions almost browned enough to pour in the last of the wine.

Important tip: I find it confusing when a recipe calls for a dry white wine since it is hard to know what a dry white wine is. Here are some examples of dry white wines: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, and some only Chardonnays. I choose wines that I enjoy drinking, and I recommend you do the same because the flavor of the wine will intensify as it cooks down.

When the onions start browning or sticking to the pot, uncover the pot and constantly stir on the onions caramelize but do not let them burn. Then add the last cup of wine and stir to get the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. After that, stir the broth and bring to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Then simmer for 15 minutes.

The onion soup is boiling uncovered.

Ladle hot soup in the hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace, and remove air bubbles. Then clean the rim, add the lid to the center of the jar, apply the band, adjust it to fingertip-tight, and place it in a pressure canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled. 

Follow the instruction of your pressure canner or (go to my blog on Canning 201) 

Place lid on the canner and lock the lid into position. Adjust heat to medium-high until the vent steams for 10 minutes. Place the counterweight or weighted gauge on the vent; bring pressure to 10 pounds (psi) for a weighted-gauge canner or 11 pounds (psi) for a dial-gauge canner. Process pint jars at 60 minutes and quart jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes). Once the processing time is completed, turn off the heat and do not touch the canner; once it comes down to zero pressure, wait another 5 minutes. Then remove the cover and let jars cool in the opened canner for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and let them rest on a towel or cooling rack on the counter untouched for at least 12 hours. 

Here are some jars fresh out of the canner. The soup can look darker after it is processed, and it is okay.

To make the traditional French onion: 

Transfer a jar of French onion soup to a small saucepan and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. While the soup is heating, cut some crusty bread to fit the bowl or crock and lightly toast the slices of bread. Baguette is the traditional bread used for this soup, but any crusty bread will do. Then, using an oven save bowl or crock, add the warm soup until the bowl is 3/4 filled. Place the bread on top of the soup to cover as much of the soup as possible. Then, cover the bread with Swiss and Gruyere cheese. Place it all under the broiler for two to five minutes or until all the cheese has melted and lightly browned. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and ENJOY!

Here are three crocks coming out of our toaster oven where they were under the broiler until the cheese melted.

Important tip: If you do not have an oven-safe bowl or do not want to go through the fuss of making the traditions way. Take some bread, cover it with grated cheese, and broil it until the cheese is melted. Then eat it along with the soup.

Final thoughts on Ball’s French Onion Soup:

In my house, this is the bee's knees of soups. It is the one that disappears the fastest. I am always making more of it. It is one of these soups that can make a quick hardy meal or a quick lunch. If made in crocks, it looks so impressive. So, I hope your crew will enjoy it in your mess!

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French Onion Soup

Yield: approximately 8-pint jars or 4-quart jars.

Author: Dorothy's Mess

Ingredients

For the Soup:

• 1Tbsp. butter
• 4 lb. onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 3 cups dry white wine, divided
• 3 qt. (3 L) Beef Bone broth, or chicken, beef, or vegetable stock

For The Cheese Toast Topper:

• Slices of Baguette or other crusty bread
• Swizz and/or Gruyere cheese

Specail equipment

• Mason jars with lids and rings
• Pressure canner
• Oven safe bowls or crocks

Instructions

To make and can the French Onion Soup

1. Start to slice them on a mandolin so that they are an ⅛ of an inch thick. Then weigh the sliced onions until you have 4 pounds.
2. Next, melt butter in your 8-qt. Dutch oven (Stainless steel or enameled) over medium-low heat.
3. Once the butter is melted, stir in onions, salt, pepper, dried thyme, and 2 cups of wine. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
4. The onions will be tender and start to brown. Check the onions at the 20 minutes mark.
5. Then after that, stir and check more frequently to avoid burning the onions.
6. When the onions start browning or sticking to the pot, uncover the pot and constantly stir on the onions caramelize but do not let them burn.
7. Then add the last cup of wine and stir to get the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for about 2 minutes.
8. Then stir in the broth and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Then, simmer it for 15 minutes.
9. Ladle hot soup in the hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace, and remove air bubbles.
10. Then clean the rim, add the lid to the center of the jar and apply the band adjusting it to fingertip-tight. After that, place them in the pressure canner.
11. Repeat this until all the jars are filled.
12. Follow the instruction of your pressure canner or go to my canning 201 blog.
13. Place the lid on the canner and lock the lid into position. Adjust heat to medium-high.
14. Then vent steam for 10 minutes.
15. Place the counterweight or weighted gauge on the vent; bring pressure to 10 pounds (psi) for a weighted-gauge canner or 11 pounds (psi) for a dial-gauge canner. Process the pint jars at 60 minutes and quart jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes)
16. . Once the processing time is completed, turn off the heat and do not touch the canner; once it comes down to zero pressure, wait for another 5 minutes.
17. Then, remove the cover and let the jars cool in the opened canner for 10 minutes; remove the jars and let them rest on a towel or cooling rack on the counter untouched for at least 12 hours.

To make the traditional French onion:

1. Transfer a jar of French onion soup to a small saucepan and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.
2. While the soup is heating, cut some crusty bread to fit the bowl or crock and lightly toast the slices of bread.
3. Then, using an oven save bowl or crock, add the warm soup until the bowl is 3/4 is filled.
4. Place the bread on top of the soup to cover as much of the soup as possible.
5. Then, cover the bread with Swiss and Gruyere cheese.
6. Place it all under the broiler for two to five minutes or until all the cheese has melted and lightly browned.
7. Remove and let cool for a few minutes and ENJOY!

Source

1. This recipe is adapted for The All-New Ball Book of Canning And Preserving.