French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 pounds onions (see note) sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste divided
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup dry sherry (such as Amontillado)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 1/2 quarts homemade beef stock or homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 1/2 onion grated
- 2 tbsp cognac
- 8 bowl-size slices rustic bread sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 1 pound Gruyère cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced chives for garnish
Instructions
- In a large stainless steel saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add sugar and pinch of salt. Lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are very sweet and a rich golden-brown color, 1 to 2 hours. If browned onion juices on bottom of pot threaten to burn, add 1 tablespoon (15ml) water, scrape up browned bits, and continue cooking. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour and add sherry, wine, and 1 cup of stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits then scrape onions and liquid into a Dutch oven to continue cook until alcohol smell is mostly gone, about 3 minutes. Add remaining stock, thyme, sage, and bay leaf; raise heat to medium-high; and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add fish sauce and cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs, sage, and bay leaf.
- Add cognac and grated onion.
- Preheat broiler and adjust oven rack to top position. Brush olive oil on both sides of bread slices. Broil on each side until toasted. Rub toasts with garlic clove.
- Spoon a small amount of broth into the bottoms of 4 ovenproof serving bowls, then top with half the toasts. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top of toasts, then spoon more soup and onions on top, nearly filling bowls. Set remaining 4 toasts in bowls, pushing to nearly submerge them. Top with remaining grated cheese and set bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cheese is melted and browned in spots. Garnish with chives and serve.
Notes
Yellow onions are your best all-purpose bet for this soup, but a mix of yellow, sweet (Vidalia, Walla-Walla, etc.), and red onions, as well as shallots, produces an even more complex flavor.