JUMP TO RECIPE
Food is memories. Every time we eat, we create a memory of that moment in our hearts and in our stomachs. There are so many foods that have special meanings to us: the meal you ate on your first date with a significant other; your family’s Thanksgiving meal, complete with all of your own special traditions; the cake your mom always made for you on your birthday.
This soup will always make me think of Joe’s dad. Every restaurant we visited, it seemed like he would always order French Onion Soup. It’s been about 3 months since he passed, and now whenever Joe and I order it out in a restaurant, we always end up talking about his dad and how much he would have loved it.
We recently found our soup crocks in a box in the basement after trying to clear out some boxes from our move (in October 2017, ha), and we decided to make some soup at home. We slurped and sipped it at the table and we talked about Bob and how much we missed him.
This soup will now be a bittersweet memory for me. And I’m okay with that.
When you make this soup, I hope it brings you some joy, creates some memories, and gives you some slurping-good times.
French Onion Soup Recipe
Servings: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 2 hours
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups yellow or Vidalia onions, sliced thinly (approx. 5 medium onions)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup dry white wine (something like a pinot grigio)
4 cups (32 ounces) beef stock
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 baguette, sliced into thin rounds, and toasted
12 to 16 slices of Gruyere cheese (2 per serving of soup)
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, or other large pot, over medium heat. Add in the onions and toss to coat with the butter and oil.
To the onions, add the bay leaf and cook over medium to medium-low heat for 1 hour until the onions are caramelized (a deep caramel color).
Add in the garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and flour; toss to coat the onions.
Next, pour in the brandy and cook for 2 minutes until the onions are thick and the liquor has mostly been absorbed. Add in the wine and cook for another 2 minutes until the liquid is reduced by half.
Add in the beef and chicken stock and bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. Make sure it’s not rapidly boiling, you just want small bubbles slowly rising to the surface, and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, turn on the broiler to high. To serve, ladle the soup into broiler-safe crocks, add in the Parmesan, then the baguette slices, and top each bowl with 2 slices of Gruyere.
Place the crocks under the broiler and let the cheese bubble and brown, this could take up to 5 minutes if your broiler isn’t very powerful.
Cooking Notes
- Make sure your soup crocks are truly broiler-/oven-safe! It should say on the bottom what temperature they’re safe to but if they don’t I would err on the side of caution. If you don’t have broiler-/oven-safe crocks to put the soup in, make cheesy toasts to go on top of the soup instead. Our similar to these!
- To make the cheese toasts, just place the baguette slices on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Top each piece of baguette with a slice or two of Gruyere and place the baking sheet in the oven under the broiler. Broil for about 3-5 minutes, making sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Serve the soup in a bowl and top with the cheesy Gruyere toast. You won’t have that melted, crusty cheese over the side goodness that you get when you have French onion soup in a restaurant, but it will definitely still be delicious.
If you make and enjoy any of my recipes, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your pictures on Instagram (@bookishkitchen #thebookishkitchen)! I love seeing my followers recreating my recipes.
