crock pot

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

By in Lunch, Main Dish, Meatless, Soup 7 Comments Tags: , , , ,

slow cooker french onion soup

When I made this soup for the first time I made a big mistake. Since my hubby comes home every day for lunch we usually reserve soup for lunch time. Since this soup takes 6-8 hours to cook in the slow cooker, and I didn’t feel like getting up in the wee hours to get started on it, I decided to make it the day before. It was a great plan, until a couple hours in when my house started smelling fabulous and I knew I had to wait a whole entire day before I could eat a bowl of it. It was torturous. I was tempted to skip on my dinner plans and just have it for supper. But, my will power persevered and I spooned it away in a storage container and stashed it in the fridge to be heated up the next day. It was so worth the wait.

I’ve never made French Onion Soup before. Mostly because James isn’t a fan of onions so I thought it would be off the list. Especially after having not so great versions at restaurants. But then, I had a rich, flavourful version that got me craving another bowl and I decided it was time to try it at home.

This was every bit as good as I hoped it would be. Rich and flavourful, slightly sweet and oh so comforting. And, you know what, it even satisfied the picky onion eaters in the family. The kids, hubby and I gobbled it right up.

Normally you place the bread on top of the soup bowls and then broil it, but since I don’t have oven safe soup bowls we broiled the bread separately and placed it on top. It’s just as delicious and makes for any easy dipper for little people who may have a harder time getting their spoon to break up the bread. I’m a little wary of soggy bread but both me and James loved this and when the bread soaks up the delicious broth there is absolutely nothing to not like about it.

slow cooker french onion soup

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 4 medium sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 cup beer
  • 2 quarts low-sodium beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1.5 teaspoons dried)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 baguette, sliced
  • Gruyere cheese, sliced or grated (harvarti is also good)

Turn on your slow cooker and set to high. Add butter and let melt. Add onions, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Mix well. Cover and let cook for 1-1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until onions begin to caramelize and turn brown. Stir in flour, allow to cook for a couple minutes then stir in beer and beef stock a bit at a time, stirring well between each addition to avoid lumps. Stir in thyme and pepper. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.

To serve: Top baguette slices with cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve on top of soup. Alternately, if your soup bowls are broiler safe you can place the bread and cheese right on the soup and broil.

Makes approximately: 8 servings

Adapted from How Sweet it Is. Originally from Tyler Florence.

Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche

By in Sweets 11 Comments Tags: , , ,

slow cooker dulce de leche

Dulce de leche is one of those things that always seemed super simple to make but for one reason or another I kept putting off actually making it. For those who are unfamiliar with dulce de leche (don’t ask me to pronounce it, I get it wrong every time), it is basically a cheat’s caramel – sweetened milk is heated slowly until the sugars in the milk caramelize and the milk thickens.

There are slightly different ways to make it, but the most common in North America is to use a can of sweetened condensed milk for a more hands off approach. And, the most dangerous (yes, dangerous! Oooo) way to make it, is to boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water. The reason this is potentially unsafe is because if the water boils down too low the can may overheat and explode. Lovely.

I don’t particularly like the thought of boiling something in a metal can anyways, which is probably the biggest reason it took me so long to take the plunge. But, when I saw a slow cooker version that used canning jars instead, I did a happy dance. It all seemed so simple and safe, and I just love finding new ways to use my canning jars (and slow cooker!).

S0, I give you a super simple dulce de leche that is as hands off as it gets and gives you a thick caramel that is just waiting to be swirled into ice cream, sandwiched between cookies, stirred into hot drinks, spread into tart shells, or spooned onto whatever your little heart desires! If you’ve never made it before, I am here to say, do not make the same mistake as me. What are you waiting for?

P.S. If you need one more reason to make this, I’ll be sharing a special treat that uses dulce de leche next week. Better be prepared!

Slow Cooker Dulce De Leche

  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk

Pour the contents of the sweetened condensed milk into a 1.5- 2 cup canning jar; tighten the lid securely. Place in the bottom of a slow cooker, fill with hot water until the water level is at least an inch above the milk. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until caramelized and thickened to your liking.

Adapted from A Beautiful Mess