Taste French Onion Soup

Soupe a` L'Oignon Gratine`e

This recipe is a bit of a spin off from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I tweaked it just a bit to make it my own. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. There is a lot of love to put into this dish, and if you do, I'm sure they will notice. Just remember: ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. Bon Appetit!


6-7 medium to large yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt divided in half
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 quarts of beef stock or broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
6 croutons (recipe follows)


Slice onions in about 1/2 inch thick slices. Melt butter with olive oil in a large stock pot. Sweat onions in butter and oil covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally over low heat. Remove lid add 1st teaspoon of salt, sugar and herbs de Provence, and increase to medium heat. Stirring frequently, caramelize the onions over about 40 minutes. You want the onions to be a deep, rich golden color. While onions are caramelizing heat beef stock in a separate pan until simmering. Once onions are caramelized stir in the flour and black pepper, for about 2-4 minutes. Next, deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of white wine, scraping all of the darkened bits from the bottom of the pan (this add lots of flavor and depth to the soup). Add simmering beef stock and second tsp salt to taste. Cook over medium/low - low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally uncovered. This time is important to bring all of the flavors together, reduce a bit, and intensify. Divide soup among 4-6 oven safe bowls. Place two croutons in each bowl. Top each bowl with about 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese. Place under broiler for about 2-5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browning slightly on the edges. Carefully watch them under the broiler, as to not burn. Serve immediately with your favorite soup spoon! Enjoy.

For the croutons:

Slice a french baguette in 1/2 inch slices. cook 15 minutes in an oven at 325 F. Remove. Flip slices over, and rub each slice with a clove of garlic. Return to oven for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool. Add to soup as above.