Classic French Onion Soup is known as Soupe à l’Oignon in France is one of the country’s most beloved dish of all time. Deep caramelised onions cooked in chicken stock, topped with toasted french bread, gruyere cheese and broiled to create rich and flavourful French onion soup. All you need is some patience and time to make this spectacular soup that turns to be restaurant style.
Classic French Onion Soup Recipe
I am sure by the look of this dish, you must be wondering, this must be complicated. But I can guarantee you that it is one of the easiest and flavourful classic French soup which you can make in your kitchen easily.
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But to be honest, to make a good bowl of French onion soup, you need basic ingredients and lots of patience. With that said, lets see how to make this amazing dish.
But First What is French Onion Soup?
French Onion Soup, also known as “Soupe à l’Oignon” in France. Even though It is served in fine restaurants around the world, It is surprising to learn how this dish was invented first.
As you all know Onions were very affordable and available throughout the year. Chefs discovered that caramelising onions brought out their natural sweetness which added so much depth to the soup. Off topic, thats how I made my onion chutney and egg sandwich.
Now the soup is topped with slices of toasted french bread and a good amount of Gruyère or Comté cheese. This is then broiled until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Thats how this unique French onion soup was born.
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About French Onion Soup
French onion soup is now called as caramelised onion soup, soupe à l’oignon or soupe à l’oignon gratinée in French. Even though the dish may look complicated, extravagant, it is super simple to make. More over, you need just a handful of ingredients.
French onion soup become become popular in Paris during the 18th century, especially in the cafés around Les Halles, the city’s famous central market. But now it is enjoyed all over the world.
My Tips for perfect French onion soup
The key to make perfect soup is to saute onions until it is deeply caramelised. It almost get down to ¼ of which you started. So I recommend using a bunch of onions to begin with. I use around a kilo of onions to serve 4 to 5 people. To speed up the process, you can sprinkle little sugar to the onions.
Take your time to cook it down until it is deeply caramelised. Cook the onions on low to medium heat and not high. You might need to adjust the heat accordingly. The onions should be sweet, soft and silky. Don’t hurry this process, since this makes all the difference.
Traditionally beef broth is used in the soup. I like to use either vegetable stock or chicken stock. Flavour the stock with some kind of herbs. I used thyme, you can use bay leaves, sage, rosemary or parsley. These herbs pair well with the soup.
Now comes the most important and fun step in the soup. Bread and cheese topping, use french bread which is toasted. Be generous with the cheese which creates the iconic broiled effect.
Ingredients
- Onions – One of the most important ingredient in this soup is onions. You can use red onions or white onions. In my experience, white onions tends to be more sweeter than red onions.
- Butter – Use good quality French butter for sauteing the onions, it adds to the flavour. I like to use President or Lurpak.
- Red Wine Vinegar – add a dash of red wine vinegar to cut down some of the sweetness from the onions. You can use sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar, even balsamic works
- Stock – Traditionally beef broth is used in the soup. I like to use either vegetable stock or chicken stock.
- Seasonings and herbs – salt, pepper, thyme are the only seasonings I used.
- French Bread – Traditionally slightly stale bread is preferred since they absorb the soup better. You can use any crusty bread.
- Gruyere Cheese – You need good melting cheese. I used gruyere, you can use Comte, Provolone and Swiss (Emmental) which melts beautifully.
Step by Step Pictures
Caramelising Onions
1)Start by peeling and slicing bunch of onions. You will be needing quite a bit of it. Since they cook down a lot.
2)Heat a generous amount of butter and olive oil in a sauce pan. Make sure the sauce pan has a lid.
3)Add in sliced onions, sprinkle some salt over the onions. This way the water from the onions comes out and the onions cook down faster.
4)Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium low heat for 15 minutes. Make sure to stir every now and then.
5)This is the first stage of the onions. It will get translucent. You keep on cooking on low to medium heat.
6)This is after 20 minutes of cooking the onions. You can see the sugars from the onions start to caramelize. It will get darker and darker.
7)This is after another 15 minutes of cooking. The onions is more darker and caramelised.
8)Here you can see the bottom has scorched a little. That is all the sugars from the onions.
9)Add a splash of water or red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan. It will deglaze the pan which adds so much flavour to the soup.
Making Soup
10)Now pour in the chicken stock into the caramelised onions.
11)Add a splash of red wine vinegar. You have to taste the soup and adjust the vinegar.
12)I like to add thyme into my soup. Since onions and thyme goes well together.
13)Season the onion soup with black pepper powder, we have added salt in the beginning. So always taste check and adjust the seasonings.
14)Cook the soup for a further 15 minutes to make sure it is all cooked and flavours have deepened. Thats it, your soup is ready.
Broiling French Onion Soup
15)Meanwhile take your cheese. Here I am using gruyere cheese, these melt beautifully over the soup. You could use any cheese that you prefer.
16)Freshly grate your cheese, it makes all the difference.
17)Preheat oven to Broil mode at 220 degree C (440 degree F). Now take an oven safe soup dish. Fill it with the rich onion soup until ¾ th full.
18)Place couple of toasted french bread on top of the soup. Sprinkle the top with grated gruyere cheese. Be generous with the cheese. Place this bowl on a baking sheet, pop it into the preheated oven under the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted, bubbly and broiled lightly. It will take just 2 to 4 minutes.
19)Remove from oven, Sprinkle top with some fresh parsley and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Be generous with the onions, since they cook down quite a bit. Make sure you slice onions medium thickness.
- Always cook onions low and slow, so it gets soft and caramelise till sweet.
- You can use beef broth, vegetable broth or even water.
- you can use bay leaves, sage, rosemary or parsley. These herbs pair well with the soup.
Storage and Serving
French onion soup keeps well in the fridge. You can store it for upto a week in fridge. Top with bread and cheese and broil at the time of serving.
FAQ
Q: What is French onion soup called?
French onion soup is now called as caramelised onion soup, soupe à l’oignon or soupe à l’oignon gratinée in French.
Q: Which type of onions is best for french onion soup?
You can use red onions or white onions. In my experience, white onions tends to be more sweeter than red onions.
Q: What cheese can I use for french onion soup?
you can use Comte, Provolone and Swiss (Emmental) which melts beautifully.
Q: What is the secret to French onion soup?
The key to make perfect soup is to saute onions until it is deeply caramelised. It almost get down to ¼ of which you started. So I recommend using a bunch of onions to begin with. I use around a kilo of onions to serve 4 to 5 people.
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French Onion Soup Recipe (Caramelised Onion Soup)
Classic French Onion Soup is known as Soupe à l’Oignon in France is one of the country’s most beloved dish of all time. Deep caramelised onions cooked in chicken stock, topped with toasted french bread, gruyere cheese and broiled to create rich and flavourful French onion soup. All you need is some patience and time to make this spectacular soup that turns to be restaurant style.
Equipment
5 Oven Safe Soup Bowls or Ramekins
Ingredients
For Topping Soup (Broiling)
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
French Onion Soup Recipe (Caramelised Onion Soup)
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
