Julia Child’s French Onion Soup
Comments
This is not a "quick and easy" recipe. Of note is the proper way to caramelize onions.
Ingredients
- 5-6 Cups Yellow Onions, sliced thin
- 1/2 Yellow Onion, raw
- Olive Oil, 4 Tbsp
- French Bread, about 8 slices
- Cognac, 2-3 Tbsp (optional)
- Parmesan Cheese, 4 ounces
- Swiss Cheese, Grated, about 12 ounces
- Salt and Pepper
- Sage, Ground, 1/2 tsp
- Bay Leaf, 1 leaf
- White Wine, 1 cup
- Beef Stock, 6 cups
- Flour, 3 Tbsp
- Sugar, 1/2 tsp
- Butter, 2 Tbsp
- Cooking Oil, 1 Tbsp
Directions
- Heat a heavy, oven-safe, stock pot over medium-low heat and add the cooking oil once the pot is hot.
- Melt the butter into the hot oil.
- Stir the sliced onions into the oil/butter mix, ensuring they are evenly coated.
- Cover the stock pot and cook for around 20 minutes checking to make sure they aren’t burning.
- One the onions are clear and tender, turn up the heat to medium-high, and add the sugar and 1tsp salt. Continue cooking while stirring until onions are thoroughly browned to a dark walnut color.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 3 TBS. flour.
- Cook 2-3 minutes until flour forms a thick paste (add more butter if needed).
- Stir in 1 cup of beef stock, and stir heavily for a couple seconds.
- Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 325° F.
- Drizzle both sides of French bread slices with olive oil, and place on a baking sheet.
- Cook the bread in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.
- Taste soup, and add salt and pepper as needed, then remove the bay leaf.
- Add cognac, and grate the 1/2 raw onion into the soup.
- Add a little bit of the swiss cheese to the soup, preserving most of it for the top.
- Cover the soup mixture with the bread, forming a single layer bread top.
- Sprinkle the rest of the Swiss cheese over the top of the bread, forming a thick layer.
- Drizzle melted butter or oil over the cheese, and place the pot into the oven uncovered.
- Bake for around 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Turn the broiler on and brown the cheese.
- Remove pot from oven and let stand to cool.
Serves 4 - 6 maybe