French onion soup with gruyère cheese toastie
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 2
- Dietary
- Nut-free
A rich, velvety French onion soup is hard to beat, but adding a gruyère, pickle and salami toastie alongside makes it truly unforgettable!
Ingredients
For the French onion soup
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
- 4 large white onions, finely sliced
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp yeast extract
- 30g/1oz plain flour
- 250ml/9fl oz white wine
- 1 litre/1¾ pints beef stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the gruyère cheese toastie
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 slices white bread
- 6 thin slices salami, finely sliced
- 2 large gherkins, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz gruyère cheese, grated
Method
To make the French onion soup, heat the butter in a large, lidded saucepan on a low heat and add the onions, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Cover with the lid and cook for 20 minutes, until the onions are soft.
Stir in the yeast extract and cook for a minute. Stir in the flour, then whisk in the wine and stock. Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat and simmer for 5–10 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the gruyère cheese toastie, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon and cayenne pepper. Brush both sides of each piece of bread with it.
Fill the sandwich with the salami, gherkins and gruyère. Squeeze together and cook in a toasted sandwich maker until golden and crisp. Cut into 4 triangles. If cooking in a frying pan cook on each side on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until crispy.
Ladle the soup into the serving bowl and top with the 2 triangles on each bowl. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place under the grill for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Careful when serving the bowls will be hot.
