French Onion Soup

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Summer just hit and soup is the last thing you want to make, that all it will do is heat up your kitchen and make you feel miserable. Maybe. But French onion soup isn't just any soup, and this isn't just any recipe for onion soup. I've made at least 4 different versions of French onion soup so far in my life, and this one is by far the best. (You get a little obsessed with finding the perfect recipe for French onion soup when you've been to France and had the perfect French onion soup.) And once you make it, you'll want to eat 3 bowls in a row, it's that flavorful.

French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’Oignon)
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, in turn adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces or about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
3 tablespoons almond meal
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken or beef broth (make sure when buying broth that it doesn't have pureed carrots or tomato paste in it, because those are both starchy, making your own is the best way to go)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4-5 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes. They don’t need your attention for this part.

2. After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. You want them to be browned, but not super caramelized, because caramelizing them makes the onions starchy. This step will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup, so don't cut it too short.


{browning the onions}

3. After the onions are browned, sprinkle them with almond meal and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed.

{finished soup--I know it's not much to look at, but it tastes amazing}


4. Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your bread with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you,but if you love cheese, you could use as much as 1/4 cup per bowl.

{in the oven}


5. Bake soups on tray for 10 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Make sure that you use pot holders (because those bowls are going to be scalding) and serve immediately

{finished!}


French Onion Soup (Soupe à l’Oignon)
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, in turn adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces or about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
3 tablespoons almond meal
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken or beef broth (make sure when buying broth that it doesn't have pureed carrots or tomato paste in it, because those are both starchy, making your own is the best way to go)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
Gratinée (Optional)
1 tablespoon grated raw onion/raw green onion
1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss, or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
12 to 16 1-inch thick slices of starch free pumpernickel bread (see this post), toasted

1. Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4-5 quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes. They don’t need your attention for this part.
2. After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. You want them to be browned, but not super caramelized, because caramelizing them makes the onions starchy. This step will build the complex and intense flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup, so don't cut it too short.
3. After the onions are browned, sprinkle them with almond meal and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed. 

The soup is so good on it's own , it's not necessary to do the graitinéed top. But sometimes it's nice to be fancy.
4. Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your bread with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you,but if you love cheese, you could use as much as 1/4 cup per bowl.
5. Bake soups on tray for 10 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Make sure that you use pot holders (because those bowls are going to be scalding) and serve immediately