French Onion Soup

Every restaurant and diner serves French Onion Soup. Well, maybe not every restaurant, but certainly every diner.

I remember the first time I ever saw it on a cooking show when I was a kid. Things were simpler back then. Nobody gave a second thought to using bouillon cubes.

Don’t get me wrong, you can serve a very tasty French Onion Soup using bouillon. But, if you want to serve something that makes people say, wow, then follow this.

This recipe is from the French Culinary Institute in New York City, “L’Ecole”

While the recipe states that you can use chicken stock, beef stock, or water, the absolute best result is achieved with veal stock, second by beef stock. Also, homemade stock is best because there is a concentration and collagen aspect that you don’t find in store bought stocks.

However, in a pinch, you can use any store-bought stock. I prefer “Kitchen Basics”, but any would work.

After the stock component, the dominant flavor profile depends on technique.

Concentrated flavors is key to making this an epic offering.

I used two 12 oz ramekins.

300 g onion, small dice – about 11 oz
15 g unsalted butter – ½ oz
25 ml olive oil – 1 oz
100 ml port wine – 3 ½ oz
1 clove of garlic
1 quart of veal or beef stock
1 tsp salt
8 ¼ inch slices of a baguette
200 g shredded Gruyere 9 oz

Heat the butter and oil in a stock pot over medium heat

When the butter is melted and hot, add the onions

After about 15 to 20 minutes, when the onions are soft and sweet, turn the flame up to caramelize the onions. It is important that the onions are brown, but not burnt.

Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes

Add the port wine and reduce by ½

Add the stock and salt and simmer for about 20 minutes

Preheat the oven to 375°

Toast the baguette slices until they are crisp and lightly browned.

Place 4 slices of the baguette in each of the ramekins

Place the ramekins on a ½ sheet pan

Ladle 1 ½ cups of soup into each ramekin

Cover each with grated cheese

Bake until the cheese melts

Broil to brown the cheese

Serve immediately to guarantee your guests burn all of the flesh from their mouths. – I’m joking, warn them so you don’t get sued.