Recipe developed and contributed by Maureen Gualtieri
I love a good soup! But at this point in the winter, I sometimes find myself craving the comfort of a piping hot bowl in a different format. Enter this month’s recipe: a filling spin on the classic French Onion soup that, because its base is a hearty sourdough, you can dip into MORE SOUP. (It’s Soup-ception, if you will.) DFC’s Wasabi mustard echoes the French influence by subbing in for Dijon, and melds with sautéed shallots, fresh herbs and lots of Gruyère cheese. This loaf is designed to be shared and enjoyed by tearing bits off and watching the extravagant cheese-pull. Have fun with it, and stay warm!
French Onion Soup Bread
(Yield: 4 servings)
1 (600g) sourdough boule, unsliced
4 (approx 175g) shallots, diced small
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp (75g total) unsalted butter
3 c. (250g) grated Gruyère cheese
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tbsp (15ml) DFC’s Wasabi mustard
salt and black pepper, to taste
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat. Tip in diced shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Pluck the leaves from your fresh herb sprigs and stir in. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots pick up some colour, 1 – 2 minutes more. Season with salt and (plenty of!) pepper. Remove from heat and mix in the DFC’s Wasabi mustard until well incorporated.
Cut the whole sourdough boule into approx 1-inch slices across its length, then across its width, making sure to not cut through the very bottom crust. You’ll end up with a forest of square columns of bread all held together by the crust at the bottom.
Place the sliced boule on two sheets of aluminum foil. Stuff about half of the grated Gruyère in the valleys between the bread columns, then follow with the shallot/mustard mixture. (Make sure you get even coverage of both.) Stuff the rest of the cheese after the shallots, and sprinkle any extra on top. Melt the remaining butter, and drizzle it over the bread, concentrating on the cheesy valleys. Wrap the whole thing securely in the aluminum foil, and slide it onto a pan just in case of leaks. Pop in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
Enjoy hot, tearing columns of cheesy bread out with your hands and dipping them in soup or chili!
