cooking.nytimes.com
French Onion Soup
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. Discover more ideas for warming dishes in our collection of cozy soups our readers love.
Prep
10 min
Cook
1h 20m
Total
1h 30m
Serves
4 to 6 servings
Instructions
- 01
Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for 5 minutes. 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 45 to 60 minutes.
- 02
Meanwhile, warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.
- 03
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.
- 04
Slowly add warm broth, ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper to the onion mixture and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- 05
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.
- 06
Broil for a minute or two, watching carefully, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
per serving
- Calories
- 397
- Protein
- 20.7grams
- Carbs
- 36.3grams
- Fat
- 17.4grams
- Fiber
- 4.3grams
- Sugar
- 12.6grams
- Sat. fat
- 10.1grams
- Sodium
- 1217.1milligrams
- Cholesterol
- 51.6milligrams
Variations & swaps
How to Make Cooking Substitutions
- By Alexa Weibel
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