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French onion soup
Soupe à l'oignon gratinée with cheesy toasts
Soupe à l'oignon gratinée was the late-night meal of Les Halles, the old Paris food market, where porters and party-goers ate it at dawn; in Lyon, the city of onions, it's a winter bistro classic. Onions are cooked very slowly in butter until they turn a deep mahogany brown, then simmered in stock with a splash of wine and topped with toasted bread and melted cheese under the grill. The traditional soup uses beef stock; this version uses a rich vegetable stock and lets the deeply browned onions carry the flavour. Gruyère and Comté are made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian alternative. Chef's tip: give the onions a full hour on a low heat; rushing them over a high heat is the common mistake and they burn before they sweeten.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
For the topping
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Melt 1 ¾ oz butter with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy pot over a medium heat. Add 2 ⅝ lb onions and 1 ½ tsp salt and stir to coat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and have released their liquid.
15 minStep 2: Uncover, add 1 tsp sugar and turn the heat to low. Cook for 45–60 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the onions are soft, sticky and a deep chestnut brown. If they catch, add a splash of water and scrape.
50 minStep 3: Stir in 2 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for 2 minutes, until the flour smells toasty.
2 minStep 4: Pour in ¾ cup dry white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up the brown bits. Add 1.2 litres rich vegetable stock, 3 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and ½ tsp black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
22 minStep 5: Meanwhile, toast 8 slices baguette under the grill until dry and golden on both sides.
Step 6: Heat the grill to high. Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls on a tray, float 2 toasts on each and pile on 5 ½ oz Gruyère or Comté cheese.
Step 7: Grill for 3–4 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in patches. Serve at once, warning everyone the bowls are hot.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does french onion soup take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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