French Onion Soup
French Budget Recipes Vegetables Soups and Stews
A classic French recipe, welcome on cold winter days, since this year spring seems to be coming late.
The secrets of this soup are: caramelizing the onions and using a good quality beef stock (traditionally) or chicken stock, preferably homemade. I used the chicken stock I had left from making Radauti-style soup. It's a slightly sweet soup that balances very well with the cheese it's served with.
Ingredients
4 large onions
2 liters chicken stock (or beef stock; you can substitute 100-200ml with dry white wine)
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pepper
4 tablespoons oil
bread or baguette slices
grated cheese
How to prepare french onion soup
- Cut the onions into thin slices or rounds and sauté them in oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the onion is soft, add the sugar and let it caramelize well until it turns golden-brown... this takes about 30 minutes. Don't forget to stir occasionally.
- Add the stock, bay leaves, thyme, and a little pepper, then simmer covered for 30 minutes.
- When serving: Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls, place a small slice of bread or baguette (toasted if desired) on top, then sprinkle with grated cheese. Broil for 5 minutes until the cheese melts and browns slightly around the edges. Watch it while in the oven - cheese can burn quickly. Serve hot.
Put the onion in the pot
Caramelize the onion
Add the soup and spices
Get it into the oven
French Onion Soup
