French Onion Soup - A traditional recipe

Ingredients

3 medium thinly sliced yellow onions

2 medium sweet Vidalia Onions thinly sliced

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

5 cups beef broth

1 pound oxtail

1 cup red wine

2 fresh thyme sprigs

3 tablespoons cognac

4 slices French bread

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400º. Spread the rounds of baguette on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat the butter with the oil in a large saucepan until melted. Add the onions and cook gently over medium heat and occasionally stir. When the onions are completely soft and slightly light golden.

Add the sugar, pinch of salt and increase the heat to high. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onions caramelize slightly.

Stir in flour and cook for about 1 more minute until light brown. Pour in the beef stock, the oxtails, red wine, fresh thyme, add pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer for about 50 minutes.

Remove the oxtails and the thyme. Add the Cognac to the soup. Stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Turn on the broiler. Leave the door open while reaching the temperature.

Ladle the soup in 4 French onion soup terrines. Cover with the baguette and pile on the Gruyere cheese. Place the terrines on a cookie sheet.

Put the soup terrine under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Serve immediately.

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About

French Onion Soup – a traditional recipe.

Love this time of year. Our temperatures have slightly dropped. The sun is not as intense. The mornings are cooler as well as our evenings.

Soup is just calling my name this time of the year and onion soup makes it to the top of my favorite soups to make. Warm, savory, easy, and flavorful made with beef stock, wine, and loads of onions. And, do not forget, topped with loads of cheese over French baguette slices. Heavenly!

My version of the French onion soup recipe is very rich and sustaining due to the oxtail, the toasted bread, and loads of cheese that accompany it. I added the oxtail to give the store-bought broth a richer flavor.

Another big component for the success of this onion soup is slicing your onions very thinly versus chunks, they will caramelize better. Caramelize the onions with care and do not rush this step. You want your onions to gently release their natural juices and cook the onions evenly.

I love to mix two kinds of onions: yellow and sweet Vidalia. Not fond of the pungent of the white, however, is my choice. I also used red onions and the only suggestion I have is to taste and you will have to season with a bit more salt as the onions are sweeter when cooking.