French🥣 Soups & stews

French Onion Soup

Name: French Onion Soup
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ~1½ kg onions; 100 g unsalted butter; 50 g oil; ~1-1.5 tsp salt; 2 bay leaves; ~100 ml brandy; ~2 tbsp flour; ~1 liter beef stock; ~1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; a pinch Maggi seasoning; 1 sprig fresh rosemary; ~1 French baguette or stale French stick; ~3-4 tbsp olive oil; ~200 g Gruyère cheese

⏱ 60 min

A classic French soup built on deeply caramelized onions combined with beef stock and brandy, topped with toasted bread and melted Gruyère cheese. A signature dish at fine dining steakhouses and a foundational recipe taught in culinary school.

Adapted from a video by Back of House

How I Make French Onion Soup at Home

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

onionslarge quantity, sliced with the grain~1½ kgest.
unsalted butter100 g
oil50 g
salt~1-1.5 tspest.
bay leaves2
brandy~100 mlest.
flour~2 tbspest.
beef stockhighly gelatinous and flavorful; bone broth or homemade stock recommended~1 literest.
Worcestershire sauce~1 tbspest.
Maggi seasoningor MSG as alternativea pinch

Steps

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1
Prepare the onions by removing the root and top, halving them, peeling, and slicing with the grain into even, consistent pieces.
2
Heat the butter and oil in a large pot until the butter is melted, then add all the sliced onions.
3
Season the onions with salt and stir every 5-6 minutes over medium-high heat for about 25 minutes until they turn deep golden and shrink significantly. When stirring, use a flat wooden spoon to scrape up the caramelized bits from the bottom and incorporate them throughout.
4
Add bay leaves, then pour brandy around the sides of the pot and allow it to ignite (on a gas stove) to burn off the alcohol. Once the flame subsides, add flour and stir thoroughly to cook it through with the onions.
5
Pour in the beef stock, add Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of Maggi seasoning (or MSG), and add a fresh rosemary sprig. Stir until simmering, then scrape down the sides of the pot using the liquid to incorporate all the caramelized bits.
6
Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C on the grill or broiler setting.
7
Prepare croutons by slicing the baguette to about 0.5 cm thick, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and toast under the broiler for 4-5 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
8
Ladle the hot soup into oven-safe bowls, stirring the pot first to ensure even distribution of onions. Make sure not to include any bay leaves or rosemary pieces.
9
Place several croutons on top of each bowl of soup, then generously cover with grated Gruyère cheese.
10
Place the bowls back in the oven under the broiler for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
11
Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 4-5 minutes before eating, as the contents will be extremely hot.

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

Steps

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