French Onion Soup
Onions cooked down slowly until they're jammy and sweet, in a rich golden broth, with baguette and bubbling Gruyère or Comté on top. This is French comfort food at its most honest.
Ingredients
- 750 gr onion
- 75 gr unsalted butter
- 2 l vegetable stock
- 125 ml dry white wine for example a Waitrose Blueprint White Burgundy
- 1 baguette
- 200 gr Comté cheese or Gruyère or Emmental
- 1 thyme optional, for aroma
- 1 bay leaf optional, for aroma
- salt and black pepper
Equipment
Instructions
1. Caramelise the onions
- Peel and finely slice the onions. Melt the butter in a large heavy pan over gentle heat, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring often, for 30–40 minutes, until soft, golden and deeply caramelised. Don't rush this, it's the soul of the soup.
2. Build the base
- Pour in the white wine to deglaze, letting it bubble while you scrape up the sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Prepare the bread
- While the soup simmers, preheat the grill (or oven to 200°C). Slice the baguette into thick rounds and toast on a baking tray until golden. Top each generously with grated cheese and return to the grill until bubbling.
4. Finish and serve
- Remove the thyme and bay. Ladle the hot soup into ovenproof bowls, float the cheesy croutons on top, scatter over more cheese, and grill for a few minutes until gratinéed. Serve immediately, piping hot.
Notes
- Take your time with the onions. The deeper the colour, the richer and sweeter the soup.
- A mix of Gruyère and Comté gives the best balance of melt and tang.
- Day-old baguette holds up in the soup without falling apart.
- The soup base keeps 3 days in the fridge. Add the croutons fresh.