Homemade Beef Stock For French Onion Soup Recipes

EASY FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Place onions and butter in saucepan.
• Sauté on medium heat until onions are tender.
• Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes (don't let garlic burn).
• Add beef broth, consomme, and Woschershire sauce.
• Bring to a boil for 1 minute.
• Take ovenproof bowls (I use over-sized coffee mugs) and place 0.125 cup of cheese in bottom of each bowl.
• Fill bowl with soup leaving room at the top.
• Place toasted French bread on top.
• Top with 0.125 cup Swiss cheese.
• Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.
• Serve immediately.
• Caution--bowls will be hot!

HOMEMADE BEEF STOCK FOR FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange beef bones and oxtail in a single layer in a heavy roasting pan (not glass). Coat with oil. Roast, turning once, until deep brown, about 45 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, onions, leeks, celery, carrots, and garlic, stirring well. Roast until vegetables are browned and tender, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make a bouquet garni by wrapping parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth. Tie bundle with kitchen twine; set aside.
• Transfer bones and vegetables to a large stockpot; set aside. Pour off fat from roasting pan. Set pan on stove across two burners. Add wine, and bring to a boil, deglazing pan by scraping up any brown bits from bottom with a wooden spoon; boil until wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add to stockpot.
• Add 6 quarts (24 cups) water to stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; bring to a gentle simmer. Add bouquet garni. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat, 3 hours.
• Carefully pass stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl or pot; discard solids. Let stock cool completely.
• Transfer stock to airtight containers. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 3 days before using (fat will solidify; discard it before using). The stock can be frozen up to 4 months.

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH HOMEMADE BEEF STOCK

Steps:

• Place the water, beef ribs, parsnips, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme into a large soup pot over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, skimming and discarding the foam that forms on the top of the broth, until the broth is a rich brown color, 5 to 6 hours. Broth may be made in a slow cooker. Strain the broth, discard the ribs and vegetables, and refrigerate extra broth.
• Melt butter in a large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-low heat, and cook the onions and garlic until caramelized and brown, about 30 minutes. Mix flour, herbes de Provence, paprika, and garlic powder together in a bowl, and sprinkle the flour mixture over the browned onions. Cook and stir 5 minutes; add salt and black pepper to taste, and mix in parsley and 1 more teaspoon of thyme.
• Pour in 4 cups of beef broth, white wine, sherry, and hot pepper sauce; simmer until the flavors have blended and the soup has thickened, at least 15 minutes. More time couldn't hurt.
• About 15 minutes before serving time, preheat oven's broiler, and place a rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Brush the slices of French bread with flavored olive oil, and toast under the preheated broiler until well browned on each side, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Ladle soup into ovenproof soup bowls, and place a toasted bread slice on top of each bowl. Sprinkle each bread slice evenly with Gruyere cheese.
• Place the filled soup bowls under the broiler until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and browned, 2 to 4 minutes or as needed.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onions, butter, thyme and bay leaves. Cook, adding some water and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Stir the flour into the onions and then add the beef stock, wine and some salt, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
• While the soup cooks, slice a few inches from the tops of the boules and pull out the bread inside, leaving a 1-inch thick crust. Reserve the insides for serving with the soup.
• Preheat the broiler. Put the bread bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the bread bowls. Divide the Gruyere among the bowls and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the soup bowls to plates and serve hot with the reserved bread, for dipping in the soup.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put enough olive oil in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan to coat the bottom, then add the beef bones. Roast until browned, turning occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Put the carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns in a large stock pot . Add the beef bones, making sure to scrape off and add any brown bits from the roasting pan. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any scum on the surface. Lower the heat and simmer, skimming every hour or so, for 4 1/2 hours.
• Strain the stock through a fine strainer into a metal container. Set the container in an ice bath to cool. If not using right away, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for 4 months.

SIMPLE BEEF STOCK A LA JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• Place the beef bones in a large heavy pot and cover with cold water by about two inches.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and skim the sum which rises to the top--this should take about five minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients and more cold water so that everything is covered by at least an inch or two.
• Bring the stock to a simmer again, skimming as necessary.
• When the stock is simmering (Do NOT allow it to boil), partially cover and maintain at a very slow simmer for four to five hours.
• If the water level gets too low, add boiling water to the pot.
• Skim as necessary.
• When the vegetables and the bones have given their all to the broth, strain the broth and discard the solids.
• Set the stock, uncovered in the refrigerator until the fat has risen to the top and solidified.
• Remove and discard the fat.
• Taste the degreased stock (remembering it contains no salt) and if it is not strong enough, reduce it over medium heat.
• When the stock is cold, store in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer.