French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is actually French. It’s not like London broil – we don’t eat London broil in London. It’s really French. The French name for this recipe is “soupe a l’oignon gratinee.”

This is best served in the winter, although I’ve been known to serve it all year round. Just be sure that the bowls you are serving it in are flame resistant. This is a really easy recipe, but takes a little cooking time. You will need about 2 hours before serving this, and it’s really important to buy good quality beef stock - -cubes will not work well. This is worth repeating - do not use beef stock cubes, buy a good quality liquid stock.

You will need :

Equipment:

A large, thick based saucepan.

6 soup bowls

A sharp knife

A cutting board

Ingredients:

1½ lbs onions, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon sugar

2 pints beef stock ( best quality)

½ pint dry white wine

6 large croutons French bread

8 oz Gruyere cheese, grated

A dash of Brandy

Salt and pepper

First, peel and slice the onions and peel and crush the garlic. Melt the butter and oil in the sauce pan and add the onions, garlic and sugar. Cook over a low heat for at least 30 minutes until the onion is brown and caramelized. You can, if you wish, cook for longer, just turn the heat down to bare minimum and keep on going. This makes for a very rich taste, but is difficult to justify the time. Some chefs like to cook the onion for hours. When the onion is cooked to your satisfaction, deglaze the pan with a couple of table spoons of Brandy, or Sherry if you prefer.

Now add the stock and wine, bring to a boil and simmer gently with the lid on for roughly an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the soup is cooking, make the croutons. Slice fresh French bread diagonally, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a little olive oil and bake in a medium oven until crisp and golden, (about 20 minutes.)

When the soup has cooked. Spread the croutons with butter and place one slice in each bowl. Ladle the soup on top and when the croutons float to the surface, sprinkle with the grated cheese and a little pepper. Place under a hot broiler and cook until the cheese is brown and bubbly. A vegetarian alternative can be to use vegetable stock instead of beef, but, once again, do not use cubes, use good stock. Serve immediately.

Bon Apetit!