French · Starter
French Onion Soup
Deeply caramelised onions deglazed in stages give a mahogany broth that eats like a main — the ultimate cold-night charter opener
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- Yellow onions, sliced 3 mm — 1.2 kg
- Unsalted butter — 60 g
- Olive oil — 20 ml
- Plain flour — 20 g
- Dry white wine — 150 ml
- Beef stock (or dark chicken stock) — 1.5 L
- Fresh thyme — 4 sprigs
- Bay leaf — 1
- Baguette, sliced 1.5 cm — 12 slices (200 g)
- Comté, grated — 180 g
- Sherry vinegar — 10 ml
- Fine salt — 6 g
- Black pepper — 2 g
Method
- Melt butter with oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; add onions and 3 g salt. Cook 45–55 min, stirring every 5 min, until deep mahogany — deglaze the fond with 20 ml water whenever it darkens.
- Stir in flour and cook 2 min to coat.
- Add wine, reduce by half, then add stock, thyme and bay. Simmer 25 min, skimming.
- Season with sherry vinegar, remaining salt and pepper; discard herbs.
- Toast baguette slices at 180 °C for 8 min until dry and golden.
- Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls, float 2 croutons per bowl, cover generously with Comté.
- Gratinate under a hot grill (250 °C) 4–5 min until blistered and bubbling.