French Onion Soup with Comté Toasts excerpted from Melted Cheese: 60 gorgeously gooey recipes.
Whether you are hangry, hungover or just longing to indulge in a little greediness, Melted Cheese is the book to turn to!
From alpine-inspired raclette and tartiflette to grilled cheese toasties, deep-fried croquettes, unctuous pasta bakes, creamy potato gratins and more, you could never have imagined there were so many inspired ways to serve your cheese melted.
With recipes for everything from solo nacho bowls to fondue parties, there is no shame in enjoying melted cheese on your own, but equally it is good to share the love too!
Melted Cheese: 60 gorgeously gooey recipes by Ryland Peters & Small is available at
French Onion Soup with Comté Toasts
Molten Comté, with its nutty, earthy taste and creamy texture, is the ideal choice for these oozing toasts that soak up the rich broth of the onion soup to perfection.
30 g/2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
1 kg/2 lb. 4 oz. large onions, very thinly sliced
250 ml/1 cup dry white wine
1 litre/4 cups rich beef stock
good pinch of grated nutmeg
small handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh bay leaves
75 ml/1⁄3 cup good-quality Madeira
1 day-old baguette or other crusty bread, cut into slices
1 garlic clove, peeled
150 g/51⁄2 oz. Comté, grated/shredded
salt and black pepper
SERVES 4
Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan or flameproof casserole dish and add the oil. Add the onions and season with salt. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 45 minutes until they have reduced right down to a golden, sticky mass.
Add the wine and bubble, stirring, for a minute, then add the beef stock, a good grating of nutmeg and the herbs. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the Madeira and bubble for 5 minutes more. Check the seasoning and spoon into four small ovenproof bowls or dishes.
Preheat the grill/broiler to high.
Toast the slices of crusty bread and rub one side all over with the garlic. Put the toasts on top of the bowls so that they cover the surface of the soup. Sprinkle with lots and lots of cheese and put on a baking sheet under the grill/ broiler until the soup is bubbling and the cheese toasts are melted and golden. Serve straight away.
Recipe reprinted with permission from Ryland Peters & Small.