French Onion Soup

Published on in Recipes, Soups & Stews

I absolutely love a good French Onion Soup. It is one of those soups, that if done right, is rich and satisfying. It almost hits comfort food status when the flavors are developed correctly.

I admit that over the years I have become a bit of a French Onion Soup snob. I have always liked it, but years ago I had an AMAZING version at a local steakhouse. Since then, I’ve be obsessed with finding the best version–whether at a restaurant or at home.

Last week I stumbled across an old article from 2008 on French Onion Soup. It talked about the legend of French Onion Soup’s roots. According to the article, King Louis XV of France came home from a hunting trip late one night. Hungry, he grabbed what he could find–which included onions, left over beef stock and Champaigne–and created the famous soup. Now, I have no idea if there is any truth to this legend, I mean, where was the royal cook? However, it makes for a good story. And when French Onion is done right, it does taste fit for a king.

So what do I consider French Onion Soup done right? Well, for me French Onion Soup should be rich and complex. It should have a deep enough flavor that one cup goes a long way. It isn’t watery (I’m sure you’ve had that version at restaurants that make soup from a base!). The soup should border sweet, but with a balance of savory.

I don’t make French Onion Soup very often. Not because I don’t love it. And certainly not because it is hard. It is because great French Onion Soup takes time, a lot of time (and thyme!). You have to get the proper caramelization of the onions to build your base. Thankfully that old article I found had some great tips, including starting the onions in the oven and deglazing the pan multiple times. I admit that I adopted some of their cooking techniques for my recipe.

My version gets a hefty flavor bump thanks to the addition of Cognac. I love the complexity that Cognac adds to a dish, and frankly, you can’t add a more French ingredient. I also love French Thyme–it rates up there as one of my favorite herbs–and wanted that flavor to come through as well.

Start to finish you are looking at around three hours of cook time on this soup, but don’t let it dissuade you. Not all of that cook time is “active.” Plus the time investment is worth it. This is a great soup to make on a rainy afternoon when you aren’t leaving the house anyway.

French Onion Soup
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French Onion Soup

Recipe by Oven and Spice / Kacey BaxterCourse: SoupCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy, Intermediate
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

3

hours 

10

minutes
Total Time

3

hours 

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tbs unsalted butter

  • 3 pounds yellow onions, halved and cut into 1/4
    slices

  • 2 1/2 cups water

  • 1/2 cup Cognac

  • 3 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock

  • 1.5 cups low sodium beef broth or stock

  • 2 tsp dried thyme

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Cooking spray

  • Baguette slices

  • Gruyère cheese, grated

Directions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray inside of large Dutch oven with cooking spray. Place onions in the pot and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over onions. Cube butter and scatter on top of onions. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and starting to brown, about 1 hour.
  • Carefully remove pot from oven and place on stovetop. Cook onions over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 5-8 minutes. Scrape any bits that collect on spoon back into onions. Deglaze the pan by stirring in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 5-8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in Cognac and cook, stirring frequently, until Cognac evaporates, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in bouillon bases, remaining water, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot. Allow soup to come to a gentle boil then reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • While soup simmers, slice a baguette and toast the slices to a golden brown. Set aside.
  • When soup is ready, heat broiler. Place broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and fill with soup. Place 1-2 baguette slices on soup, then sprinkle evenly with grated Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

    If you do not have broiler-safe crocks, you can broil the cheese and baguette slices separately then add to the soup.

Notes

  • Yellow onions are the optimal choice for this recipe. Sweet onions, such as Vadalia or Walla Walla, are two sweet. Red onions will create a dingy looking soup.

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