Bourbon & Apple French Onion Soup with Crispy Prosciutto Toasts
A cozy, warming soup filled with autumnal spices that has a great mix of textures and sweet/savory flavor. Use whatever cheese you like! Gruyere is classic, but apples and cheddar are great friends, too. Same goes for some punchy, funky blue cheese … See the note at the bottom for slow cooker directions and a quick-fix method, too.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Two tablespoons olive oil
- 3 pounds sweet or yellow onions, thinly sliced (they’re often sold in 3-pound, bags)
- 2 red or golden apples, thinly sliced
- Two sprigs of thyme, leaves removed (amount is approx)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- Two ounces bourbon whiskey
- 1 teaspoon beef stock concentrate
- 6 cups beef stock
- 1 baguette
- 6 slices prosciutto (any sliced ham you like is great)
- 1.5 to 2 cups shredded gruyere or Swiss cheese OR shredded cheddar cheese (Or a mix! Use blue cheese, even!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set the rack to the middle position.
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large, deep pot set over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the sliced apples, bay leaves, mace (if using), ginger, thyme, and bourbon. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the stock concentrate and 1 cup of the beef stock. Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven for about an hour (see the note below for a quicker, 30-minute version)
- Add 3 more cups of stock, put the lid back on, and roast for 1 more hour.
- Preheat the broiler to high. After the final hour of cooking, put the pot back on the stovetop over medium heat, add about two more cups of stock. Ladle into individual oven-safe bowls and top with torn pieces of baguette, however much you see fit. Tear pieces of prosciutto and lay them over the bread, just tucking and twisting them around. Top with a big pile of shredded cheese and broil on high on the middle rack for about a minute, until bubbly and golden. Enjoy!
Notes
1. SLOW COOKER METHOD. You can make this in a slow cooker by putting all of the ingredients – through the beef stock – into the slow cooker and cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4. Taste for seasoning and add more stock, if needed. Ladle into bowls and proceed with the recipe as written.
2. QUICK-FIX METHOD. You can skip the two-hours of roasting, if you like, and just simmer the soup – with all 6 cups of stock – on the stovetop for about 30 minutes, with the lid barely cracked.
Keywords: Bourbon and Apple French Onion Soup