Marmite French Onion Soup

23

PREP TIME

20 min

TOTAL TIME

1 h

Serves

4

Marmite French Onion Soup

Produced by Sun Ngo; Food styling by Ashley Denton; Prop styling by Madeleine Johari

In this French onion soup recipe, the British classic Marmite is the star of the dish, adding a punchy, beeflike flavour. Top this hearty soup with plant-based cheesy baguette slices.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp olive oil , divided
  • 5 onions , very thinly sliced, about 750 g
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/3 cup sherry , or apera
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp Marmite , or Vegemite
  • 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 900-mL pkg mushroom broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 demi-baguette , cut in eight 1/2-in. thick slices
  • 200 g plant-based mozzarella-style cheese , grated

Instructions

  1. Heat a pot over medium. Add 3 tbsp oil, and then onions and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and caramelized, 30 to 35 min. Reduce heat if they are browning too quickly.
  2. Add sherry, Dijon, Marmite, five-spice powder and pepper. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Pour in broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 min. Discard thyme sprigs.
  3. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat broiler. Brush both sides of baguette slices with remaining 1 tbsp oil. Arrange on a baking sheet. Broil until toasted, 30 sec to 1 min per side.
  4. Place 4 ovenproof soup bowls on another baking sheet. Ladle in soup. Top each with 2 toasts. Top toasts with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 min. Sprinkle with more fresh thyme, if desired. Serve immediately.

Kitchen tip

Marmite and Vegemite are thick, dark, sticky pastes made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Marmite is a British food product, while Vegemite hails from Australia. Both are intensely salty and savoury, and add a slight beeflike flavour to mushroom broth.

Kitchen tip

A mozzarella-style vegan cheese will give you the melty texture that’s typical of French onion soup, but feel free to use any plant-based cheese you prefer.

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