Shallots are wonderful in soups, as they are much sweeter and cook quicker than regular onions. This delicious recipe for French shallot soup takes only 45 minutes to make and will feed your whole family!
Use this quick and easy beef stock recipe for this soup (link opens in a new tab).
Recipe and styling by Illanique van Aswegen
Photograph by Adel Ferreira
French shallot soup
Ingredients
- 15ml (1 tbsp) ready-made garlic butter
- 5ml (1 tsp) olive oil
- 1kg peeled and thinly sliced shallots
- 30ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar
- 60ml (4 tbsp) Port
- 10ml (2 tsp) Marmite
- 10 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1L (4 cups) warm beef stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 12 baguette slices, to serve
- 30ml (12 tsp) garlic butter, to serve
- 60g Gruyère, to serve
Instructions
Heat 15ml (1 tbsp) ready-made garlic butter and 5ml (1 tsp) olive oil in a heavy-based pot over high heat. Stir in 1kg peeled and thinly sliced shallots and 30ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar, and sauté, 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in 60ml (4 tbsp) Port, 10ml (2 tsp) Marmite, 10 fresh thyme sprigs and 1L (4 cups) warm beef stock. Simmer covered, 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Preheat the oven’s grill to high. Spread 12 baguette slices with 5ml (1 tsp) garlic butter on each. Grate 60g Gruyère and sprinkle over the buttered baguette slices. Place them under the grill, 1 – 2 minutes, until golden and bubbly (keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn). Spoon the soup into 4 soup bowls and top each off with a grilled slice of baguette. Garnish with fresh thyme.
Notes
Use the slicing attachment of your food processor to slice the shallots thinly in seconds
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
