French Onion Toasts Recipes

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions only occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
• Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
• Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it's not quite sweet enough, add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
• Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks (be sure the soup is very hot as it won't warm up much in the oven). Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and then Parmigianno Reggiano. Slide the crocks into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving. (Alternatively, if using regular soup bowls: Top each toast slice with some cheese and return to broiler to melt, about 2 minutes more. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with two cheese toasts.)
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.

FRENCH ONION DIP WITH GRUYERE TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very soft and browned, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper. Fold in the onion mixture until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Mixture can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Arrange the bread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each slice with about 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until the bread is golden brown and crisp and the cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve dip with the cheese toasts and endive leaves.

CARAMELIZED ONION TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, chopped anchovies, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are sweet and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, shave off the rounded top and bottom of the baguette with a serrated knife so that it lies flat. Then cut the baguette in half lengthwise to make 2 long slices of bread. Brush both sides of each with the remaining 4 tablespoons butter.
• When the onions are cooked, put the bread slices on a baking sheet and spread with the onions. Garnish with olives and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven and bake until the bread is crispy, about 15 minutes. Shower with Parmigiano. Cut into pieces and serve hot.
• Serve the onion toasts alongside an assortment of Italian meats.

FRENCH ONION TOASTS

Steps:

• Melt one tablespoon butter in a nonstick frying pan over low heat.
• Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally (do not burn) until tender and a golden brown (approx 15-20 minutes).
• Stir rosemary, salt and pepper into the onions and remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter one side of each slice of french bread.
• Place the bread, butter side down, on a baking sheet.
• Divide the onion evenly over the top of the french bread, coving as most of the surface as possible.
• Top the bread as evenly as possible with the grated cheese.
• Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is well melted.

FRENCH TOAST WITH BACON, ONION AND TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• Make the filling: Toss the bacon into a large skillet with a few drops of olive oil. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the bacon until brown and crisp, about 13 minutes. Spoon off about half of the drippings. Add the onion to the pan and season with salt and the red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and very aromatic, 8 to 10 more minutes. Add the tomato, season with more salt and cook another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tomato is soft and mushy and most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and reseason if needed. Stir in the oregano and let cool.
• Make the French toast: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. In a wide dish, combine the eggs, milk, cayenne (if using) and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth and homogeneous.
• Lay 4 slices of bread on a work surface. Sprinkle each piece of bread lightly with cheese (use about half of the cheese). Spoon a quarter of the bacon filling onto each piece of bread, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Top each slice with another piece of bread and press to secure. Working in batches, soak each "toast" in the egg mixture, about 1 minute; flip and soak the other side.
• While the toasts are soaking, coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring the pan to medium heat. Working in batches so you don't crowd the pan, cook the toasts for 2 to 3 minutes per side. The toasts should be golden brown, lovely and crisp-YUM! Transfer the toasts to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm.
• Make the eggs and assemble: Coat a large nonstick skillet lightly with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the eggs to the pan, working in batches if necessary. Cook until the whites are cooked through and the yolks are warm and runny, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the toasts from the oven and top each with a perfectly fried egg. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

FRENCH ONION SOUP WITH CHEESE TOASTS

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and chopped onions; saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
• Pour chicken and beef stocks into the saucepan, and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
• Heat broiler. Ladle soup into six 16-ounce ovenproof bowls, and float 3 slices of bread on top of each. Sprinkle the cheese over bread slices in each bowl, dividing evenly. Place bowls on a rimmed baking sheet, and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Let soup cool slightly before serving.