Vidalia® Onion Soup Topped With Broiled Comte Baguettes

Here in Georgia, we eagerly await Vidalia® Onion season. There’s just nothing quite as sweet as Vidalias… except The Man, of course.

For those of you who might not know, here are a few Vidalia facts*:

• All Vidalia Onions are sweet onions, but not all sweet onions are Vidalia Onions.
• Vidalia Onions have a unique flat shape.
• Vidalia Onions are grown from a granex seed variety and tested for three years to ensure it meets Vidalia standards
• Vidalia Onions have its own unique PLU code of 4159.
• Vidalia Onions can only be grown in South Georgia in 20 counties outlined in the Georgia State Vidalia Onion Act of 1986 and Federal Marketing Order #955 (Federal Marketing Orders, administered by the USDA, are regulations designed to stabilize conditions for milk, fruits and vegetables.)FMO #955 was established in 1989 to stipulate where the crop can be grown and to assist in the research and promotion of Vidalia Onions. The Vidalia Onion Committee administers FMO #955 and authorizes production.
• There are 60 registered Vidalia Onion Growers and for the 2021 season 9400 acres were planted by hand.
• Vidalia Onions were a surprise discovery in 1930 when farmers in South Georgia hoped to find cash in an onion crop… little did they know.
• In the 1960, the Vidalia Piggly Wiggly began working with the farmers promoting distribution of the Vidalia Onion to other stores in the chain.

Now you know…

And as you might guess, Vidalia Onions are now in the stores. This week I made Vidalia Onion Soup** and The Man swooned.

Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

Butter and EVOO as needed for caramelizing.

5 large Vidalia Onions, sliced about 1/4″ thick.

1/8 to 1/4 Cup sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Several springs of fresh thyme (from my deck garden)

A couple Bay leaves

1 cup White wine (I had no white wine, but I did have some flat Prosecco…) plus a couple splashes as needed during caramelization.

5 Cups homemade Chicken Stock (I had no Beef broth)

1 Heaping Tablespoon of “Better than Bullion” – Beef Flavored

PLEASE NOTE: Simply substitute Vegetarian Both to make this a vegetarian soup!!

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Baguette sliced into 1/2 – 3/4″ slices

EVOO

Comte – I don’t measure; I just shred and pile it on…

Preparation:

Using low-medium heat, melt the butter with EVOO in large skillet or sauté pan.

Add the onion rings and toss to coat with your EVOO/butter mixture. Be sure to allow extra time for your onions to caramelize slowly. Stir every 15 minutes or so. As they caramelize, some sticking may occur. Use a splash of wine and a spatula to lift the sticky residue. It adds a bit of extra complexity to your finished soup. This step may take as much as an hour; but it’s worth every minute.

As the onions cook, sprinkle and toss them with the sugar, some thyme leaves, salt and pepper. I find sugar makes the caramelization just a little “sweeter”.

In a separate large sauce pan, heat your broth (and if used, the Better Than Bouillon), the wine, a few springs of the thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Let it simmer as your onions cook.

Take your baguette slices and lightly coat both sides with EVOO. Top with shredded Comte and a few thyme leaves.

Once your onions are ready, add to your broth mixture and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Broil your Comte-topped baguette slices until bubbly and Comte begins to brown.

Remove Bay leaves and Thyme stems. You may wish to add a little more salt and pepper.

Ladle your onions and soup into bowls and top with slices of your Comte baguettes… listen for your guests to sigh and then watch them swoon…

Recipe serves 3-4.

*https://www.vidaliaonion.org/

** I was inspire by a recipe from https://thecozycook.com/french-onion-soup/

You can find a selection of authorized Vidalia specialty foods at my Amazon Influencer Store.

In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.

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