French onion soup
This warming onion soup is an emblematic French dish, both in bistro cuisine and home cooking.
This is a very classic version. The long, slow cooking is the secret to revealing its full flavour.
This is a very classic version. The long, slow cooking is the secret to revealing its full flavour.
2 hours 30 min.
Easy
8 people
11 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
700 g onion - 2
50 g butter - 3
50 g flour - 4
200 ml dry white wine - 5
2 litres water - 6
2 chicken stock cubes - 7
4 slices bread - 8 40 g butter
- 9
80 g grated cheese - 10
salt - 11
pepper - Total weight: 3,340 grams
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 35 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 55 min.
All in all: 2 hours 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 2 - 3 min.
In a large saucepan or casserole, melt 50 g butter until it froths.
Stage 3 - 1 min.
When the butter is frothing well, add the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Fry the onions on fairly high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently to stop them burning.
Stage 5 - 2 min.
Sieve 50 g flour into the pan.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Mix in and cook until starting to brown, stirring constantly.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
Pour in 200 ml dry white wine all at once.
Stage 8 - 3 min.
Stir until well mixed.
Leave to cook for 2 or 3 minutes while stirring.
Leave to cook for 2 or 3 minutes while stirring.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Pour in the chicken stock, made by mixing 2 litres water (hot) with 2 chicken stock cubes.
Bring to the boil.
Bring to the boil.
Stage 10 - 1 hour 30 min.
When boiling, turn the heat down to its lowest, cover and leave to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
Meanwhile, butter 4 slices bread and top with grated cheese.
Press the cheese down gently to help it stick to the buttered bread.
Press the cheese down gently to help it stick to the buttered bread.
Stage 12 - 4 min.
Cut the bread into small squares and arrange these on a baking sheet. Brown under the grill (keep an eye on the colour).
Stage 13 - 1 min.
When the onion soup is cooked, check the seasoning.
Stage 14 - 3 min.
Serve piping hot in large bowls, topped with with the cheese croutons.
Remarks
Use either white or yellow onions, but preferably not red ones, as they are less suitable for the long slow cooking.
At stage 4 of the recipe, there are 2 conflicting schools of thought: some prefer the more traditional method of cooking the onions until they are dark brown, others (like me) only brown them lightly - it's a matter of taste, of course. I remember as a child staying with my grandmother Jeanne. She used to cook her onions until they were really dark and, back then, I loved that.
For the grated cheese, choose whatever you prefer that browns well, such as Comté, Gruyère or even Emmental.
At stage 4 of the recipe, there are 2 conflicting schools of thought: some prefer the more traditional method of cooking the onions until they are dark brown, others (like me) only brown them lightly - it's a matter of taste, of course. I remember as a child staying with my grandmother Jeanne. She used to cook her onions until they were really dark and, back then, I loved that.
For the grated cheese, choose whatever you prefer that browns well, such as Comté, Gruyère or even Emmental.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Based on a recipe by Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 320 RDI=120 % | 2,410 RDI=230 % | 140 RDI=20 % | 1,890 RDI=100 % | 7,920 RDI: 100 % |
| Per 100 g | 9 RDI=4 % | 70 RDI=7 % | 4 RDI=1 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI: 3 % |
| Per person | 40 RDI=20 % | 300 RDI=30 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI=10 % | 990 RDI: 10 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : £3.70
- Per person : £0.50
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Poaching syrup, Natural leaven, Turban of sole with langoustines, Seeded loaf, Ali Baba bread, ... See them all 137
Onion
Like these other recipes: Hearty leek and sprout soup, Winegrowers' sausage casserole, Raw beetroot salad, Lumberjack turnovers, Roscoff salad, ... See them all 148
Dry white wine
Like these other recipes: Cured Pork Belly With Lentils, Veal Marengo, Tomato meat balls, Rosemary steamed fish, Pork chops in the oven, ... See them all 69
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Spinach Mornay, Layered Leek and Egg Gratin , Endive gratin with cancoillotte, Creamy rice with spinach, Soufflée omelette with cheese, ... See them all 73
Other recipes you may also like
Windfall apple jelly
This jelly is an excellent way to make use of all those unripe apples that have dropped off the tree. They (or rather, their juice) makes a delicious jelly with a very delicate flavour. As these apples are green and generally tart, we need to use a little more gelling agent than for a normal jelly recipe. August 19th 2021187 K5 60 min.
Real custard sauce (crème anglaise)
Real custard or vanilla sauce consists of egg yolks beaten with sugar and cooked slowly in vanilla milk. It is the base or the accompaniment for many desserts. January 17th 2018436 K 24.3 45 min.
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille. January 27th 2017777 K 313.8 40 min.
Coconut paste
Similar to marzipan or walnut paste, coconut paste can be used in a variety of cake or sweet recipes, but you can enjoy munching it just as it is. October 13th 2010305 K 14.2 15 min.
Natural leaven
Leaven is a natural raising agent, a fermented mixture of water, flour and the microscopic yeasts which are present in the air. It's a delicate living substance, sensitive to the external environment. The recipe is around 4000 years old and dates back to the Egypt of the Pharaohs, via a beautiful history...(note: the ancient Egyptians seem not to have had exclusive knowledge of the process: in Germany evidence of cooking a fermented dough has been found from 8000 BC (the Neolithic era). The... April 3rd 20201.72 M 304.0 7 days 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-10-12)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 2 comments already posted on this recipe