French Onion Soup
- Makes
- 4 to 6 servings
- Prep
- 10 minutes
- Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- From
- Sara Bonisteel, NYT Cooking
In 1954, what was then called the Food News Department of The New York Times released a pamphlet, simply called “Soups,” which had 20 recipes for soups “thick and thin, hot and cold,” including those for minestrone, shrimp bisque and this French onion soup. Since then, Sara Bonisteel updated the original recipe, caramelizing nearly 10 pounds of onions to achieve this, the ideal soup. The addition of sherry and wine layers in more flavor, adding a jolt of acidity that cuts through the onions’ richness. The bulk of the time is spent on caramelizing the onions, a process that always takes longer than it seems it should. But it’s worth the wait.
Ingredients
Green amounts are scaled. Anything else is as written, so adjust it yourself.
Method
Amounts and times written inside the steps are for the original quantity.
- Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for . Remove lid and let onions caramelize until golden brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat if onions are browning too quickly. The caramelization process may take .
- Meanwhile, warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.
- Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow mixture to come to boil. Stir in flour and let thicken for a minute or two.
- Slowly add warm broth, ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper to the onion mixture and boil uncovered for . Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the broiler, and arrange individual ovenproof casseroles on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles, and cover top with bread slices. Sprinkle each casserole generously with Gruyère.
- Broil for a minute or two, watching carefully, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.
Tips
You can prepare the soup through step 4 up to 2 months in advance. Thaw and reheat, then top with the bread and cheese and broil to serve.
Starting the onions covered in Step 1 slightly speeds up the cooking process by encouraging the onions to steam and soften in the liquids they release. If the onions are browning too quickly or sticking to the pan as they caramelize, you can add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and scrape up the browned bits (a process called “deglazing”).
If you have a mandoline, now is the time to put it to use, as it will make quick work of thinly slicing 3 pounds of onions.