French onion soup


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.
53K 35 4.0
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Last modified on: December 30th 2019

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For 24 people, you will need:

Change to the quantities for: 4 people 8 people 16 people 24 people
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
PreparationCookingStart to finish
34 min.1 hour 55 min.2 hours 29 min.
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 20 min.
French onion soup
Prepare 9 cups onion and chop finely.

Stage 2 - 3 min.
French onion soup
In a large saucepan or casserole, melt 23 cup butter until it froths.

Stage 3 - 1 min.
French onion soup
When the butter is frothing well, add the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Stage 4 - 10 min.
French onion soup
Fry the onions on fairly high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently to stop them burning.

Stage 5 - 2 min.
French onion soup
Sieve 1 cup flour into the pan.

Stage 6 - 5 min.
French onion soup
Mix in and cook until starting to brown, stirring constantly.

Stage 7 - 1 min.
French onion soup
Pour in 2 23 cups dry white wine all at once.

Stage 8 - 3 min.
French onion soup
Stir until well mixed.

Leave to cook for 2 or 3 minutes while stirring.

Stage 9 - 1 min.
French onion soup
Pour in the chicken stock, made by mixing 25 cups water (hot) with 6 chicken stock cubes.

Bring to the boil.

Stage 10 - 1 hour 30 min.
French onion soup
When boiling, turn the heat down to its lowest, cover and leave to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Stage 11 - 5 min.
French onion soup
Meanwhile, butter 12 slices bread and top with grated cheese.

Press the cheese down gently to help it stick to the buttered bread.

Stage 12 - 4 min.
French onion soup
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.
French onion soup
When the onion soup is cooked, check the seasoning.

Stage 14 - 3 min.
French onion soup
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.
Keeping
Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source
Based on a recipe by Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
Whole recipe
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
4,369 Kcal or 18,292 Kj144 gr719 gr295 gr
218 %55 %68 %45 %
Per 100 g
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
44 Kcal or 184 Kj1 gr7 gr3 gr
2 %1 %1 %<1 %
Per person
Energetic valueProteins CarbohydratesFats
182 Kcal or 762 Kj6 gr30 gr12 gr
9 %2 %3 %2 %
% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).
Possible allergens in this recipe: Milk, Gluten, Sulfites
How much will it cost?
  • For 24 people : 12.57 €
  • Per person : 0.52 €

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)
WaterWater: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Seeded loaf, Lemon tart, Pumpkin (or potimarron) soup, Quick chicken curry, Quince and apple compote, ... All
OnionOnion: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Mussels marinière, Vol-au-vent, Melt-in-the mouth meat and vegetables in a sealed casserole, Warm lentil salad, Mexican salad, ... All
Dry white wineDry white wine: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Hot box cheese , Montbenoit's canapés, Cheese tart, Penne with purple artichokes, Rabbit terrine, ... All
Grated cheeseGrated cheese: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Bolognaise lasagne, Frichti from Bruxelles, Gratin of beet tops and potatoes, Gratin "grilled inside", Vegetable clafoutis, ... All
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