Takes 120 Minutes Minutes , serves 6.
Heat butter and oil in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook for an hour, stirring occasionally, until the onions have reduced and are soft. Add wine, sugar and thyme and cook for an additional 30 minutes until onions are caramelized and browned. Remove and discard thyme.
Add the beef broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer as you prepare toasts.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Thinly slice baguette on an angle. Lightly butter one side and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Transfer to oven until slices are toasted, about 15 minutes.
Turn oven broiler on and position top rack in the middle of the oven. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls and place on a baking sheet. Place 3 or 4 toast slices in each bowl on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Transfer to oven and broil until the top is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
A RICH, FLAVOURFUL SOUP TOPPED WITH CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD AND MELTED GRUYÈRE CHEESE – THIS CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP RECIPE IS PERFECT.
I’ve always loved making soup. For me, a well-made bowl of soup is akin to what many of us think of as the ultimate comfort food. I also think making a hot soup is good for your cottage or home, perfuming it with such an amazing scent.
This CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe ranks as one of my top ten comfort foods of all time. It is easy to prepare and I especially like the simplicity of it all. One thing I can’t stress enough – it’s all about the onions and that distinctive topping. Who doesn’t love that stringy, melted Gruyère drooping from your spoon with that first bite? It’s always, oh, so good.
Since the flavour profile of this soup is all about the onions, I suggest using a variety that really builds out the flavour profile. I find that sweeter onions like Vidalia, Spanish, and Bermuda work best since they caramelize up so perfectly. I also suggest avoiding red onions as they will colour your soup a dark brown.
Slice your onions thin. Begin by cutting your onions in half lengthwise, then lay the onions cut side down and slice them as thinly as possible from base to tip. Feel free to use a vegetable mandoline if you’re looking for a uniform look.
Cook the onions down slowly on low heat – it takes time, but it’s worth it. Adding the slightest sprinkle of sugar as this recipe calls for can help it along, but you can leave it out if you wish.
I’ve listed beef broth in this recipe because I think it the perfect base for traditional onion soup. That said, be confident that poultry or vegetarian stock will achieve the same superior results. Here’s a recipe for PURE VEGETABLE BROTH if you need one.
I find that a light swipe of butter across one side of the baguette before it goes into the oven creates crisp, golden toasts. If baguette is difficult to find, you can use a ciabatta bun sliced in the same fashion.
Please use GRUYÈRE cheese exclusively for this soup – I swear, it’s as if Gruyère was invented to be used in recipes with onions! I believe the true magic of this authentic, slow-cooked FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe can only be achieved using Gruyère.
A soup like this can be served as a first course, but I often enjoy it on its own as a complete meal – remember, it’s rich and satiating. If you’d like something light but flavourful to go with it, I suggest our HEALTHY CHOPPED SALAD WITH KALE as well as my favourite CAESAR SALAD. If you’re pressed for time, try our SIMPLE SALAD. All three will partner well with this beloved, classic dish!
This easy FRENCH ONION SOUP recipe is a crowd-pleasing favourite that always gets rave reviews. Enjoy!
Listening to great music is an important part of every Weekend at the Cottage! I listened to Cafe Paris 100 Classic Songs – Various Artists while preparing this classic French dish. Visit iTunes to add this collection of classic French cafe music to your collection.