Classic French Onion Soup

Origin

The classic French onion soup (French: soupe à l’oignon) is a soup that typically uses meat stock and onions as its base. It is served gratined and usually as a starter dish. Gratin is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter. 

This soup has a rich depth of flavor that the meat stock provides. However, since kashrut (Kosher) dietary laws prohibit meat and dairy from being cooked or eaten together, I substitute the meat stock with a non-meat broth made using parve bouillon cubes, wine and aromatics. This way, I can still use the butter and cheese, which I think give the onion soup the biggest appeal and flavor.

Preparation

The process takes some time and a few steps. But, when done right, there's nothing more satisfying than a thick warm soup in the middle of winter, even here in Florida. The melted cheese adheres to the crispy bread and the sides of the white ceramic ramekins. You can purchase ramekins at any cookware store or on Amazon.

I'll forewarn you that the preparation for this soup is fairly simple. However, it requires about 90 minutes of cooking time. So, make sure you have ample time to dedicate to it. The results are worth the effort.

The process begins with melting butter in a large skillet. Cast iron is a plus but not necessary. I use 4 onions (white or yellow), peeled and sliced in half, then thinly sliced on my Pampered Chef Simple Slicer. Now begins the time-consuming part of slowly cooking all those onions.

Once the onions have browned (35-45 minutes), you can add the wine. Some use dry white, I personally prefer a Merlot or Chardonnay, but it's really a personal preference. You can't go wrong either way. The wine is used to deglaze the pot and as a result, adds depth and a touch of acidity to the sweetness of the caramelized onions as it evaporates.

After most of the wine has evaporated, you can add the aromatics (thyme, bay leaves), garlic, water and bouillon cubes and seasonings. Bring all of it to a boil for another 20-30 minutes or until the broth is thickened and finish it with the remainder of butter.

The preparation of the bread (croutons) takes a few minutes. You will want to use a hard airy bread like a French baguette or Italian bread. Lightly toast the slices in the oven.

L’appétit vient en mangeant

There's a common French proverb that translates to "Appetite comes with eating." And you will definitely have an appetite after all the preparation. Luckily though, we on the final leg.

Now for the assembly. I use ramekins and pour about ½ teaspoon of Sherry in the bottom of each. If you don't have Sherry, you can substitute it with equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and water.

Now, ladle the onion soup broth into each ramekin. Place enough toasted bread to cover the top and then top it with grated Gruyere cheese. If you need a substitute for Gruyère cheese, you can try Emmental, Jarlsberg, Beaufort, comté or raclette. A real Swiss cheese works, but the American Swiss doesn't.

The ramekins go under the broiler for 8-9 minutes until the cheese is melted and just starts turning brown. Remove from oven and serve warm with your favorite wine.

I hope you'll enjoy this classic soup and let me know how yours turned out.

Don't forget to try out my other soup recipes here.

Bon Appétit!

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