This is an ‘80s Anchorage deep cut, but I vividly remember the first time I had French onion soup at Harry’s Restaurant in Midtown as a kid. If memory serves, the place, tucked in the ground floor of the Key Bank building, felt dark and boothy with lots of forest green accents. It was named for a fellow named Harry Truman, who, at 84, refused to leave when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980 and did not survive.
Say what you want about that, but those earthy, buttery caramelized onions, the broth-soaked bread and that delicious toasted cheese cemented a life-long soup love. Recently, after I stumbled on an old Harry’s menu, I went on a re-creation mission.
The first order of business was to collect eight broiler-safe ceramic soup bowls, the kind with the little handles, which was actually pretty easy at Goodwill. This is, of course, optional, as you probably have something in your cabinet that can stand the broiler, but it was just a festive touch. Next, because it’s peak farmers market season, I bought some fresh onions. Then I set about making soup.
The main labor of French onion soup is caramelizing the onions in butter. The process takes about an hour over low heat. I think the best flavor comes from mixing a couple types. After that, you add wine and sherry. You can add dry white or red wine but the menu description from Harry’s says red. Then you add beef broth and, because I like it, I add rosemary. I am not sure about how authentically Harry’s that is. At this point the soup can be taken from the heat and refrigerated for a few days or even frozen for a few months. I used sturdy, bakery-made French bread — note: the super light grocery store stuff will not hold up in this recipe — but you can also use a hearty sourdough, which is sometimes easier to find. Harry’s soup used a mix of Gruyere and Parmesan, but lots of recipes use Gruyere only. I think the best price you’ll find on a block of Gruyere is at Walmart. And you can, if you want to be really true to Harry’s form, finish it with some chives.
Harry’s Restaurant tribute French onion soup
Serves 8
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
A mix of 3-4 large yellow, white or sweet onions, thinly sliced into half-moons
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup sherry
3/4 cups dry red wine
8 cups beef broth
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (optional)
8 1/2-inch slices good quality French or sourdough bread
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated or micro-planed Parmesan cheese
Chopped herbs, like thyme, rosemary or chives, to garnish
Method: Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottom 10- or 12-cup Dutch oven or soup pot. Turn the heat to medium low, add onions and sauté until they are softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat lower and carmelize, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour. If the onions are sticking or appear to be browning unevenly, splash a little bit of wine, stock or water in the pan and scrape the bottom. When the onions are done, they should be a rich brown and somewhat jammy. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Now add the wine and sherry and bring to a bubble. Add broth and whole rosemary sprigs, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the rosemary and remove from heat. You can stop at this point and refrigerate the soup, covered, if you’re making it ahead. About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, gently begin warming the broth over low heat, position your oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heating element and preheat the broiler. Once the soup is warm, ladle it into oven-safe bowls. Place a piece of sourdough in each bowl and cover completely with cheeses. Place the bowls on a sheet pan — you may have to work in batches — and slide under the broiler, watching carefully, for 2 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Garnish with herbs or chives. Serve immediately.