French Onion Soup
French Onion Soup
Achieving the quintessential oniony flavor of this soup requires patience—caramelizing onions is a slow process. Rushing only yields bitter, burnt results: a problem no amount of cheese can fix.
BEFORE YOU START: You can prepare the caramelized onions—steps 1 through 3—up to two days in advance.
KEEP SCREEN ON
Yield: 6 SERVINGS
Cook Time: 6-6½ Hours
Ingredients
SPECIAL SUPPLIES
CheeseclothButcher’s twine
6 oven-safe bowls, ramekins, or crocks
Sachet
2 bay leaves12 black peppercorns
6 large sprigs of thyme
Soup
8 pounds (about 8 large) yellow onions4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
3½ quarts beef stock
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sherry wine vinegar
Croutons
1 baguette, about 2½ inches in diameterExtra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Finish
6–12 slices (⅛-inch thick) aged Comté or Emmental cheese, at least 4 inches square1½ cups grated aged Comté or Emmental cheese
Preparation Method
To make soup
- Preheat French top for 25–30 minutes.
- In a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat, melt butter and oil. Add onions and 1 tablespoon salt, moving the pot towards the outer edge of the French top to reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour, or until onions have wilted and released a lot of liquid. Regulate the heat, moving the pot around the French top, to keep the mixture bubbling gently while the onions wilt.
- Continue cooking onions for about 4 hours more or until onions are caramelized throughout and a rich deep brown. Stir every 15 minutes, scraping browned bits off the bottom and corners of the pot.
- Transfer 1½ cups caramelized onions to a 5-quart stockpot; reserve extra for another use.
- Constantly stirring, sift in flour and cook over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes.
- Add beef stock and sachet and simmer for 1 hour, or until liquid reduces to 2½ quarts.
- Remove sachet. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and vinegar.
To make croutons
Cut baguette into 3/8-inch slices. Place on a baking sheet; brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Broil until golden brown and crisp, 1–2 minutes.
To finish and serve
- Place oven-safe bowls on a baking sheet. Add soup to the bowls, filling within ½ inch of the top.
- Top each with 2 croutons; do not submerge croutons into soup.
- Top croutons with slices of cheese, overlapping the edges of the bowls by ½ inch. Sprinkle grated cheese over the sliced cheese, filling in any thin areas.
- Broil until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.