Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

Show: Easy Entertaining with Michael ChiarelloEpisode: Pub Crawl

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (39)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(39)

Cook Time:
40 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 20 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 40 min
Total:: 1 hr 0 min

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 cloves minced garlic
8 cups thinly sliced onions
Gray salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 cups dark beer (recommended: Guinness)
6 cups beef stock
6 slices country bread cut 1/2-inch thick, toasted
1/2 pound Irish Cheddar, sliced thin

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and cook briefly to release aroma. Add onions, season with salt and cook for about 5 minutes stirring often. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown.

Add the thyme, vinegar, and beer. Reduce beer by half and add the beef stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Transfer soup to an ovenproof serving dish or individual ovenproof soup bowls. Top with toasted bread slices and sliced Cheddar. Broil until cheese melts and starts to brown slightly. Serve piping hot.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
Pam Chanhassen, MN 11-01-2009
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Best Onion Soup Ever!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this for Halloween night supper. My husband and I adored it. I did not see the show, so I followed the recipe. I... didn't have Guinness, or Sherry Vinegar, so I used Fat Tire and Cream Sherry. The flavor was out of this world!!! Love the Irish Cheddar. Only thing I didn't get the onions to brown and was worried they were turning to mush! Will definitely make this over and over again!!! So easy!Read more
recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
Jessica New Rochelle, NY 08-29-2009
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This Recipe is Awesome!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made Michael's soup this afternoon. Michael Chiarello's recipe are always delicious and I did watch the show on this one. I... did some things differently though: I didn't have the vinegar, so I left it out. I poured the Guinness right into the onions before I added the stock; its not bitter at all you have to let the alcohol cook off before you go and add the stock silly!!! The Guinness adds a layer of flavor to the soup which is yummy, and it darkened my soup up nice, since I also used chicken broth instead of beef broth. I suppose next time I will pour the stout into a glass like some people suggest, I forgot he did that when I watched the show. Oh well, it still tastes awesome! Oh yah....I also added more onions and more garlic because I made a double recipe, and everything turned out great. Of course it took longer to brown the onions. Overall, this recipe was delicious and perfect for a rainy day~ Just like one back in Ireland~Read more
recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
Joy Scotts Valley, CA 05-03-2009
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It's good, but you need to tweak it
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I don't know why this is, but every single recipe I've ever seen for French Onion Soup assumes you can get all these onions... to carmelize in 10 minutes. Uh... no. It takes a LOT longer than that, more like 40 minutes or so after you've sweated them and cooked away a lot of the liquid. So that's the first thing (and I throw in some butter, not just olive oil). The other improvement is that I used dry Sherry, not sherry vinegar. I tried making this soup according to the recipe and the vinegary taste was just not palatable. Sherry, however, is great! Like another commenter here, I also added a bay leaf. Michael, you should try our improvements. I absolutely ADORE the Irish Cheddar!Read more
recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
STACY La Jolla, CA 04-08-2009
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Show recipe vs. Web site recipe
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I wanted to ask why the show's recipe/instructions on Food Network are frequently different than the printed one. There are... several steps/techniques and specifications of ingredients that are not included in the print version which I think are very useful. Perhaps this is why some had less than satisfactory results: type of Guiness is not specified but he pours out of a can into a glass before he adds it; sherry vinegar is added BEFORE the beer and he mentions to let it reduce a bit before adding the beer; type of onion not specified, but they look like white; recipe says reduce heat to low after 5 min., while he says medium. The key to deep flavor is to caramelize the onions to a deep amber before adding any liquid, regardless of the amount of time it takes. I usually simmer my onion soups for 30 minutes at the end. 10 min. sounds a little short. I also usually add a bay leaf with the broth.Read more
recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
Christina Lakewood, CO 03-23-2009
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Yummy!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Made this last night for both french onion soup lovers and non-lovers alike. Everyone loved it. Browned the onions in two... different pans and it worked fine. I just waited until they got mushy, I think they took longer to cook than the receipe said. I took a suggestion from another reviewer and poured the Guiness into a glass first. The soup was bitter until I added the beef stock and let it simmer. I used red wine vinegar instead of sherry, since I didn't see the point in buying something I didn't have and probably would not use again. We finished the pot and everyone wanted more, plus the receipe. I'll definately make it again.Read more
recipe Guinness and Onion Soup with Irish Cheddar Crouton
Doug Corinth, TX 03-22-2009
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Disappointing
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

Our extended family loves a good onion soup. We've made many different varieties, and when we saw this we were excited to... give it a try. As others have stated, the soup proved to be quite tasteless (the recipe was followed to the letter). The general idea is sound, but I don't think this was the best way to prepare it. The onions could have been much better if they actually browned (throwing them in some olive oil doesn't quite do the trick). Won't make this again.Read more