French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is something that I always thoroughly enjoy when given the opportunity to order it at a restaurant. A stunningly white crock full of aromatic, brothy onion soup topped with a chunk of baguette and smothered in bubbly, browned Gruyere cheese that is dripping over the top and down the sides. I love to savor that cheesy baguette, and take only a little bit off with each spoonful. I can never make it last for the entire bowl of soup, but pulling a soup spoon out of a crock of French onion soup with cheese stretching itself thin is just about the most wonderful site in the culinary world.

I have been aching to make French Onion Soup at home for some time now, as it was on my original Top 100 list, and I am so thankful that I finally got around to doing it. I’m pretty sure I still smell like onions, but wow, this recipe rivals some of the best French onion soup I have had at great restaurants. It’s that good. Perhaps even better.

Now, I would never throw you to the wolves without full disclosure. This recipe is time-consuming. By my estimation it took over 4 hours (maybe 5?) from start to finish, however most of that is inactive time while the onions are doing their thing in the oven. This recipe calls for braising the onions in the oven for three hours instead of laboring over caramelizing them on the stove, noting that the low and slow braise imparts a much deeper flavor. Since I have never made it before I have no basis for comparison, but I can tell you that this soup is absolutely bursting with flavor. Your mouth will do a happy dance.

Notes on the recipe:

♦  Do not use sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, just use straight up yellow onions or the soup will be too sweet.

♦  Once you get the pot on the stove, patience is key. All of the stirring and deglazing takes about 45 minutes to an hour, but it’s a big key in developing the flavor.

♦  I cheated and did not use a baguette. There was some Italian bread in the pantry, so I cut a couple of slices in half to make “baguettes”.

♦  I cheated again and did not use Gruyere. I had the perfect amount of leftover Swiss from my Quiche Lorraine Scones, so I used that.

♦  I cheated AGAIN (third time’s a charm?). I don’t have broiler-safe crocks, so I toasted the bread and then put it on a baking sheet and sprinkled with the cheese, then slipped it under the broiler to bubble and brown. Then I just put those on top of the soup.

Now, don’t be afraid. Go buy some onions and get ready to have one of the most wonderful soups you’ll ever make in your kitchen.