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Clean recipe · onceuponachef.com

Classic French Onion Soup

This classic French onion soup is rich, deeply savory, and topped with plenty of bubbling cheese.

Original recipe: onceuponachef.com

Yield:
4 servings
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
100 min
Total:
120 min
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Classic French Onion Soup

Ingredients

  1. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  2. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  3. 3 lbs Vidalia ((or sweet onions) (about 5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced)
  4. ¾ teaspoon salt
  5. ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  6. ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
  7. 1 cup dry white wine
  8. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  9. 6 cups beef broth
  10. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  11. ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  12. 2 bay leaves
  13. 1 small baguette, (cut into ½-in (13-mm) slices)
  14. 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  15. 8 oz Gruyère cheese (grated (about 2 heaping cups; look for one imported from Switzerland))
  16. ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

  1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes.
  2. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan.
  3. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
  4. Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
  6. Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot.
  7. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
  8. While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
  9. When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it's not quite sweet enough, add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
  10. Adjust an oven rack 6 in (15 cm) from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Place the broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet. Fill them with very hot soup, top each with 1 or 2 baguette slices without overlapping, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and Parmigiano Reggiano.
  11. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving.