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France, Europe · French Onion Soup

French Onion Grilled Cheese with Dipping Soup

A butter-crisped sandwich packed with caramelized onions and Gruyère, dunked in a rich beef and onion broth: onion soup you can hold, café style.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time42 min
DifficultyEasy

Method

  1. Halve the onions and slice them 3 mm thick along the grain. Mix the Gruyère and mozzarella in a bowl.

    Add in this stepOnions 300 gGruyère, grated 100 gMozzarella, shredded 40 g

  2. Melt the onion butter in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the onions and salt and cook for . Stir every 3–4 minutes, adding 1 tbsp water and scraping if the bottom catches. Add the brown sugar and thyme for the last 5 minutes, then finish with the balsamic and 2 tbsp water, scraping the pan. They're done when deep brown, moist and jammy.

    Add in this stepButter (for the onions) 15 gSalt 1 pinchBrown sugar 1 tspThyme leaves (fresh or dried) ½ tspBalsamic vinegar 1 tsp

    medium heat

  3. For the dipping soup: put the beef stock in a small 16 cm saucepan with 1 tbsp of the cooked onions per serving, bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to low heat and simmer for . Season with pepper (and a little salt if the stock is mild) and keep warm.

    Add in this stepBeef stock 300 mlBlack pepper to taste

    high heat→low heat

  4. Spread soft butter evenly over one side of each slice of bread and lay them butter side down on a board. Spread the inside thinly with mustard, then layer half the cheese, the remaining onions and the rest of the cheese, and close with another slice, butter side up.

    Add in this stepSourdough or country bread, 1.5 cm slices 4Soft butter (for the outside of the bread) 20 gDijon mustard 1 tsp

  5. Put a clean 26 cm frying pan over medium-low heat and add the sandwiches, cooking them in 1 batch(es), up to 2 at a time. Cover and cook for to melt the cheese, then flip, press gently with a spatula and cook uncovered for . They're ready when both sides are deep golden and cheese oozes out the sides.

    medium-low heat

  6. Let them sit for 1 minute so the cheese sets slightly, then cut diagonally. Serve with the dipping soup in a cup for dunking.

Cook's tip

High heat burns the bread before the cheese melts, so stick to medium-low and use the lid. Make a big batch of onions and keep them chilled for up to 5 days for 10-minute sandwiches later. Spreading mayonnaise instead of butter on the outside gives an even more even golden crust.

Cooking it at camp

Bring the cooked onions and the cheese mix from home in the cooler. At camp, grill the sandwiches in a cast-iron pan on the burner or in a sandwich iron, and just warm the stock in a small pot for dipping.