You can make this soup, it may take a little extra time, but once you make this, you will never buy this in a can again. Homemade French onion soup is one of my all-time favorite recipes. I don’t know why a soup that is so simple in the ingredients tastes wonderfully complex and rich.
Being a child of the 1980s meant that you could order French Onion Soup in a fancy restaurant. Since my mother never made this soup, for me, it was a treat that was only available at a restaurant. As I grew up as a young adult, a dinner at a steak restaurant meant that I would order a bowl of this soup.
This soup calls for a few essential ingredients, including real butter, which will help the onions caramelize well; I prefer to use white onions for this recipe, though yellow onions will also work; cloves; a few bay leaves; dry Sherry; flour; beef stock; Gruyere or Provolone cheese; and, if you like, a baguette.
I like to use a dry Sherry because it is a fortified wine, which is great to have around because you can use it whenever you need a little extra in a dish. Regular wine isn’t fortified so it will oxidize and go bad, whereas a fortified wine won’t, so you can use it anytime. dry Sherry will pick up the browned bits of the onion that will appear in your pan, which is where the flavor comes from.
Therefore, making this soup is not at all difficult, so I urge you to try this recipe.
French Onion Soup at the Capital
Famous Barr’s French Onion Soup 🔗
One of St. Louis’s favorite soup recipes was recently printed in the Post-Dispatch. I remember going to St. Louis when I was young and my family going into the department store’s restaurant for this famous soup. Enjoy! Famous-Barr’s French Onion Soup
Prep: 40min
Total: 4h25min
Nutrition Facts: calories 145.8, Fat 6.5, Saturated Fat 4, Cholesterol 15.2, Sodium 1086, Carbohydrate 18.4, Fiber 2.9, Sugar 6.1, Protein 4.6
Ingredients:
- 5 lbs onions, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 (16 ounce) cans beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson’s)
- 1 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (such as Wondra) or 3/4 cup instant flour (such as Wondra)
- caramel coloring (optional) or Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- French baguette (optional)
- swiss cheese (optional) or gruyere cheese (optional)
Instruction:
- Peel onions and slice 1/8 inch thick, preferably in a food processor.
- Melt butter in a 6-quart (or larger) stockpot. Add onions; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- (The long cooking time makes the onions mellow and sweet.) Stir in pepper, paprika and bay leaf; saute over low heat 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Pour in 6 cans broth and wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
- Dissolve flour in remaining 1 can broth.
- Stir into boiling soup.
- Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
- Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring, season with salt. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, heat soup in microwave or on stove top.
- If desired, pour into ovenproof crocks or bowls.
- Top with a slice of bread and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes.
- Leftover soup can be frozen.
FAQ
What kind of wine goes in French onion soup?
I recommend a dry white or red wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio/Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot, or Pinot Noir, to deglaze the pan and add flavor to the soup. Generally speaking, if you can’t drink it, don’t cook with it.
How do I thicken French onion soup?
Simply combine equal parts of softened butter and flour and knead until the mixture resembles thick paste. Next, add small amounts of the dough-like mixture to the hot liquid you’re trying to thicken, which should be simmering.
How do you eat French onion soup?
Push the baked cheese against the rim of the cup or bowl and cut it gently with the knife; once the cheese barrier has been broken, you can use the knife again to nudge bits of cheese onto the spoon. With such a soup, a knife is your friend, not your enemy.
What can I use instead of sherry in French onion soup?
You can substitute apple cider, wine vinegar, or even rice wine vinegar for white wine, brandy, or dry vermouth (or, depending on the recipe, red wine, Port, Madeira, or Marsala, knowing they will leave some residual flavor).