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Luscious Onion Soup
February 18, 2007
Spring is coming soon, but there will still be some cold, wet days before it really arrives. Last week I made Soupe À L’Oignion from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1961) on one of those cold evenings. It takes a couple of hours to make – though it requires little attention for most of that time – but it’s so rewarding! The long simmered onions make a luscious, deeply flavorful broth that’s topped with chewy, cheesy croûtes. Ooo la la! (I think that’s French for ‘yum!’)
For 6-8 servings
1 ½ pounds (about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar (helps the onions to brown)
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef* stock, or 1 quart stock and 1 quart water
½ cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
3 tablespoons cognac
Rounds of hard toasted French bread
1-2 cups grated cheese (use a Mountain cheese like Appenzeller, Comté, or Fontina)
Olive oil
In a heavy bottomed 4 quart covered sauce pan, cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil for 15 minutes over a low-medium heat.
Uncover, raise the heat to moderate and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep golden brown.
Meanwhile, bring your broth to a boil in a separate pan.
Sprinkle in the flour into the onions and stir for 3 minutes.
Blend the boiling stock into the onions. Add the wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 – 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Correct the seasoning.
While the soup is simmering, put the rounds of bread (sliced ¾ to 1 inch thick) on a baking sheet in a preheated 325 oven for about half an hour, until it is thoroughly dried out and lightly browned.
Just before the soup will be served, stir in the cognac and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Cover soup with rounds of bread, sprinkle with grated cheese, and drizzle on a little olive oil. Put under a hot broiler until the cheese is melted and a little brown.
Bon appétit!
* We only had vegetable broth on hand when I made this and it worked just fine. The long simmered onions make such a rich broth that you won’t miss the beef.
Comments
Dr.Stuart Schaller, PhD says:
Love your shop but it's a bit out of the way, as we live in Lents. We don't get there as often as we would like. You are right about the Compte you stock. As to the onion soup recipe, I use Sherry instaed of cognac. but will try it your way...
Thanks,
Stu and Patricia Schaller
