French Onion Soup
Once a year, always in the cold winter months, I make French Onion Soup. It is a decadent treat that I enjoy thoroughly, but get sick of immediately and I don’t crave it again until the snow is falling, the fire is crackling and I want warm, comfy, cheesy, soup. It’s a good thing that I own these adorable French Onion Soup bowls that basically have no other purpose. Paperweight? They are the embodiment of a single purpose kitchen item and I adore them for it. No you do not need special bowls to make this soup- but look how cute!
For years I have been making Julia Child’s classic recipe, and its good- of course! But I actually prefer this version from Serious Eats. Is that blasphemous? This recipe calls for chicken stock instead of beef broth, which may be less authentic but is for more accessible. People are more likely to have chicken broth in their freezers, and if not, store bought chicken broth is much better than store bought beef broth. If you don’t have fish sauce? The recipe doesn’t need it, but it definitely tastes better with it. Don’t worry- its not fishy.
As for the time it takes to properly caramelize an onion, the 1-2 hours noted is not a typo. That’s how long it takes. Cook this when you’re in the kitchen anyways, prepping meals for the week or working on another overly ambitious cooking adventure. Stir often, every few minutes towards to end to ensure it does not burn. Don’t skimp and stop when the onions are just brown. The longer the cook, the more flavour they impart and given that they are one of the only ingredients, they need to be really flavourful. When you think they are done, cook them for another 20 minutes.
French Onion Soup
Loosely adapted from Serious Eats
Serves 6 as a side
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 lbs (1.4 kg) yellow onions, or a mix of onions (yellow, sweet, and red) peeled, halved and sliced 1/8 inch thick
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry
8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Asian fish sauce
1 tsp cider vinegar
sliced rustic bread
1 medium clove garlic
1 lb (450 g) Gruyere cheese, grated
In a large dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very sweet and a rich golden-brown colour. [See Note] This usually takes 1-2 hours. If the onion juices threaten to burn, add 1 Tbsp water, scrape up the browned bits and continue cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add sherry and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cook until the alcohol smell is mostly gone, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, thyme, and bay leaf, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, lower the heat and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the fish sauce and cider vinegar and season with any additional salt and pepper if needed. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
Preheat the broiler and adjust the oven rack to the top position. Toast the rustic bread until golden and rub the toasts with the garlic clove.
Spoon the broth into the bottom of your ovenproof serving bowls. Top with the toasts and sprinkle grated cheese on top of the bowls so that they are covered. Broil until the cheese is melted and browned in spots.