Essential French Onion Soup
Total Time
1 3/4 to 2 3/4 hours
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 3/4 to 2 3/4 hours
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
(0)
Ingredients
8 servings
- 3 pounds thinly sliced yellow onions
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup dry sherry, vermouth, or white wine (optional)
- 1 bay leaf or a few sprigs of thyme (optional)
- 2 quarts (8 cups) beef, chicken, or vegetable (mushroom is excellent) stock
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- One (3/4- to 1-inch) thick slice of bread for each bowl of soup
- 1/4 cup grated gruyere, comte, or a mix of gruyere and parmesan per toast
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Preparation
Step 1
Caramelize your onions: Melt butter in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in butter, and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let them steep for 15 minutes without stirring.
Step 2
Uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly, and stir in salt. Cook onions, stirring every 5 minutes, for about 40 to 90 minutes until they are an even, deep golden brown.
Step 3
Make the soup: Once onions are caramelized and sweet, add sherry or vermouth, if using, and scrape up any onions stuck to the pan. Cook until the liquid disappears.
Step 4
Add stock, herbs (if using), freshly ground black pepper, and bring soup to a simmer. Partially cover pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed; discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf if used.
Step 5
While soup is finishing, heat your broiler. If you don’t have a broiler, heat your oven as hot as it goes. Toast bread lightly until firm. Rub lightly with a raw garlic clove.
Step 6
To finish: Ladle soup into bowls. Fit a piece of toast onto each bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Run under broiler until cheese is melted and brown at edges. Garnish with herbs.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
To speed up caramelizing onions, you can use a pressure cooker or slow-cooker.
For a vegetarian version, use a robust vegetable or mushroom broth.
If you don't have ovenproof bowls, create individual cheese toasts and drop them onto the soup.
Consider experimenting with different types of booze for deglazing, such as dry sherry or cognac.
