A recipe from Gemo
French Onion Soup
A practical bistro-style onion soup with deeply caramelized onions, beef stock, a little wine, toasted baguette, and a bubbling layer of melted Gruyere-style cheese. The flavor should be sweet-savory and brothy, with the bread and cheese finishing the soup rather than turning it into a heavy casserole.
Method
- 01
Peel and thinly slice the onions. Grate the cheese, slice the baguette, halve the garlic clove, and have the stock, wine, thyme, and bay leaf ready before the onions start cooking.
- 02
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook slowly, stirring often and lowering the heat if the bottom darkens too fast, until the onions are very soft, deeply golden brown, and reduced to a sweet jammy mass.
⏱ 65 min
- 03
Stir in 1 tablespoon flour for 1 minute. Add the 120 ml dry white wine and scrape the browned bits from the pot, then add the 1200 ml beef stock, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, and the remaining 0.25 teaspoon salt. Simmer uncovered until the broth tastes rounded and onion-rich, then remove the thyme stems and bay leaf.
⏱ 30 min
- 04
While the soup simmers, heat the oven to 200 C. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking tray and toast until dry and lightly golden, then rub one side of each toast with the cut garlic clove.
⏱ 10 min
- 05
Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle it into oven-safe bowls, place two garlic-rubbed baguette toasts on each bowl, and cover the tops generously with grated Gruyere.
⏱ 5 min
- 06
Broil under a hot grill or bake the bowls at 200 C on a tray until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned in spots. Let the bowls stand for a minute, sprinkle with chives if using, and serve hot.
⏱ 4 min
Nutrition
