VIDALIA ONION SOUP BLISTERED VERMONT CHEDDAR

VIDALIA ONION SOUP BLISTERED VERMONT CHEDDAR
This soup is a perfect example of one of the things I love to do at Bar Americain: personalize a French brasserie classic with truly American ingredients. This is our American French onion
soup. Vidalia onions are a super-sweet variety of onion grown in—and trade-marked by!—the state of Georgia. Their sweetness is unmatched, and the slow process of caramelizing them
in this recipe intensifies their flavor. (If Vidalia onions aren’t unavailable, you can try Walla Wallas from Washington or Hawaii’s Maui onions.) Breaking through the browned crust of sharp
Vermont cheddar cheese into the molten interior is the first delicious step in devouring this hearty soup. Fresh parsley pesto finishes the dish with a hit of bright color and flavor.

Serves 8
tablespoons unsalted butter
tablespoons olive oil
pounds Vidalia onions, halved and thinly sliced
cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup brandy
½ cup dry sherry
tablespoons all-purpose flour
cups chicken stock, homemade or store-bought
sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 thin slices French baguette, lightly toasted
pound aged cheddar cheese, grated
Parsley Pesto

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 40 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the brandy and sherry and boil until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook
for 2 minutes. Whisk in the stock and thyme, bring to a simmer, and cook until the soup is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and
pepper and discard the thyme.
3. Preheat the broiler.
4. Divide eight 16-ounce ovenproof crocks between 2 baking sheets. Put a slice of bread in the bottom of each crock. Fill each crock until three-quarters
full. Place another slice of baguette over each soup and divide the cheese on top. Carefully slide the crocks under the broiler and broil until the cheese is
melted and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the broiler and top each with a dollop of parsley pesto.