Our French onion soup needs three things – a really flavoursome homemade beef stock, a food processor and lots of patience.
- 1 kilogram brown onions, peeled
- 1 litre homemade beef stock (we used our beef brisket stock)
- salted butter
- vegetable oil or olive oil
- thick slices of sourdough bread
- grated cheddar cheese (we used King Island Surprise Bay Cheddar)
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Cut the onions in half and put them through the slicer attachment of the food processor. If you don’t have access to this, you could always slice the onions using a knife or mandoline.
2. In a heavy based ovenproof pot (I used my Emile Henry round pot), heat a generous knob of butter with a slosh of oil and add the onion. Stir over a medium heat until glossy, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onion has completely wilted, remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and cook until the onions are a dark brown and just starting to catch at the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently during this stage. All up it took over an hour to cook the onions to a colour that Pete was happy with.
3. Add the beef stock, and bring the soup to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut the garlic in half and rub it over the sourdough slices, then pile grated cheese onto each slice. Preheat the top element of the oven. Carefully float the bread slices on top of the soup, then put the pot in the oven and grill (broil) until the cheese is melted and golden.
This is a simple dish, made sublime by the sweetness of the slow cooked onions and the depth of the homemade stock. We’ve tried it before with purchased stock but found the results to be quite disappointing. It’s definitely a good incentive for making your own stock!
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I made this last week. The beef stock I made was made with oxtail and shank pieces- it was so rich and deep with flavor…mmm!
I do my onions the same way, but I’ve always had provolone cheese as the top melt. It is a little stringy but worth the work to get it wrapped around your spoon.
French onion soup is such a delight to the palate when done right.
Provolone, Heidi! That’s a great idea, I’ll pick some up from the cheese shop next time I’m in. Thanks for the tip!
What a beautiful looking soup but isn’t it shocking that we’re eating soups at this time of the year! I think that French Onion Soup is definitely better when made with a good quality stock and your brisket stock would be more than perfect!
Ah Charlie, I’m a soup at any time of the year girl. I grew up eating laksa in summer.. ;-)
Doesn’t it look divine! your beef brisket stock would make it taste sublime.
Elaine, it was so nice to find a use for the brisket stock! I’ve become a little stock obsessed over the past few months, and the freezer is jam packed with boxes of it!
Mmm, there’s a nip in the autumn air here in the hills – soup weather is not far away now.
Amanda, I imagine autumn in the Adelaide Hills must be spectacular.. x
Celia, I love a good French Onion Soup…. sooooooooo delicious!
Thanks Lizzy! Have a wonderful weekend!
I’m with Peter on the colour of the onions. The slower and longer the cooking the better! Lovely recipe but our weather has taken an upward curve so keeping this for when it dips again.
Sally, our weather has been so bizarre – the summer sun finally came out – in March (Autumn). But I’m a fan of soups at any time of year! :)
The soup looks like it really hits the spot on a cold day! It has such a nice, rich colour.
Hi Manuela, it really did hit the spot. We’d planned to make it as a starter for dinner, but I ended up just eating two bowls of it instead! :)
We do our onion soup Moosewood Vegetarian, It is one of the few dishes that we all eat. I make it with swiss cheese. The trick is to simmer the onions until they are buttery butter smooth….
3 T butter or olive oil
4 large white onions, thinly-sliced
1 t salt
½ t dry mustard
dash of thyme
5 cups vegetable stock and/or water
2 T soy sauce
2 T dry white wine (optional)
white pepper
croutons or stale French bread
cheese: Gruyère or Swiss, grated or sliced (optional)
Note* cheese optional? I think not!
:-) maz
Maz, I’m still on a quest to make a good vegetable stock – I don’t particularly like the ones they sell at the supermarket. Maybe that will be my next challenge, and then I can try and make your version of the soup! :)
Patience definitely pays off here Celia and so nice to see a “tidy” French Onion Soup, they are usually all messy and slopping over the sides of the bowl.
:-) Mandy
Mandy, the secret is to use an oversized, very dark coloured pot that doesn’t show the mess.. ;-)
I love food that takes a long time to cook and this sounds and looks perfect
Thank you! :)
Agree with Pete, the color of the onion is very important and you are so correct, homemade beef stock is definitely the way to go.
Thanks Norma! There is ALWAYS a discussion at our place when something needs to be browned slowly, whether it be meat or caramel or onions. I will say, “I think this is enough” and he will always reply, “Not yet, be patient”.. ;-)
Wow, that looks perfect. Cooked just right!
Thanks Greg! It’s a nice thing to make on a weekend when we have a chance to potter around the kitchen.
This does look delicious, and I’m imagining the aromas from the stock and onions…. Yum!
Claire, the aroma of browning onions is one of my favourite kitchen smells! :)
Sounds very good! I agree, that a good flavored stock is crucial to this soup. I tried making onion soup once a year or so ago using boxed stock, and was disappointed w/ the lack of flavor. I’m not sure how to make a good beef stock. I’ll have to look into finding a recipe before next fall/winter rolls around.
Mel, we use a pressure cooker for all our stocks, and follow the instructions here:
Thanks for the video!! I don’t currently own a pressure cooker, but I’ll look into a good one to buy. It looks really simple to do.
Mel, since discovering the YouTube instructions, we’ve made beef, chicken, pork, fish and prawn stock. They’re all in the freezer, waiting to be used! :)
*sends over empty bowl for a helping of her favourite soup* YUM :)
Tandy, I wish you were closer, I’d happily stir onions for an hour if I knew you were coming for dinner.. :)
This soup looks very warm and delicious – comforting and full of flavour :)
And your last post on your husband and you was touching – I wish I can find that relationship one day
You are blessed :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Thank you! I hope you someone special one day too! :)
I never really ‘got’ French Onion Soup until I made my own with rich sticky homemade stock, then it was sublime!
Good man Pete! You just can’t rush some things, and those onions look lovely indeed!
Yaay, she’s back! Becca, we’re the same, when I first made it with packaged stock and anaemic onions, I recall thinking, “what’s the fuss about this, then?”. Now we know! :)
you can’t beat a classic like french onion soup when it’s been made with the best ingredients and patience..x
Jane, Pete often says that I have the patience of a boiling kettle, which is why this is one of the dishes we always make together. I’m not particularly good at the “wait and watch until it’s ready” bit.. ;-)
Delicious .. I be the garlic really makes it !
Vanessa, it’s very subtle, but it definitely does add a hint! :)
I love French onion soup. I haven’t made it for years. I think it is time.
Deb, we’ve only just started making it again recently, since we’ve had the pressure cooker out to make our own beef stock!
I just love a great onion soup and glad to have a great “go to” recipe for it. My daughter isn’t a huge fan, but I bet if she tasted this recipe with the homemade stock she’d love it!!
Smidge, thank you – the stock really did seem to make a difference! :)
Yum! Everyone seems to have their own variation of french onion soup. I love your addition of sourdough bread!
Thanks Amber! We had to use sourdough – it’s almost all we bake these days! :)