The Scoop
Dive into this rustic French Onion Soup where caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese meld in a bowl of comforting nostalgia.
The first time I made French Onion Soup, I had just stumbled into a tiny Parisian bistro, fresh off a plane during my first trip abroad with my backpack in tow. It was one of those serendipitous moments when a place seems to call you in. The air was filled with the rich aroma of onions slowly caramelizing in olive oil and butter, which immediately made my jet-lagged self feel right at home. Having always kept a stick of unsalted butter tucked away in my kitchen back home, it seemed only natural to embrace this soulful dish as a hallmark of my culinary escapades.
Back in my cozy kitchen, trying to recreate that magical bowl of comfort, I learned the art of patience. Caramelizing onions, I discovered, was not just an action but a meditation. Cooking them until they turned a deep, golden-brown taught me to relish the journey, not rush towards the end. Adding a splash of port wine allowed the flavors to deepen, perfectly balancing the robustness of beef broth—a trick I'm eternally grateful to that small bistro chef for.
The experience wouldn’t be complete without those crisp baguette slices nestled under a blanket of Gruyere cheese. I learned from my French friend to rub the toast with halved garlic cloves, imparting a subtle, aromatic note to each bite. It was a simple tip, yet it transformed the whole dish, making each spoonful a reminder of that first taste of Paris. French Onion Soup, with its layers and depth, became my go-to dish whenever I needed both nourishment and nostalgia during long stints away from home.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 cups onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, plus 2 large cloves garlic peeled and halved, divided
- 1/2 cup port wine
- 2 (32-ounce) cartons beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 24 slices French bread baguette, sliced 1/2-inch-thick
- 3/4 cup Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded
Directions
- In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and the butter over medium heat.
- Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10-13 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become deep golden-brown, about 30-40 minutes.
- Add 3 cloves of the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir the wine into the onion mixture.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Add the broth, the pepper, and the salt to the onion mixture and return it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the remaining oil.
- Bake the slices until toasted, about 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Rub the toast with the halved garlic.
- Place twelve 8-ounce broiler-safe bowls or ramekins on a baking sheet and place 2 of the toast slices in each bowl.
- Ladle the soup into the bowls and top each soup with the cheese.
- Broil the soup until the cheese is melted, about 1-3 minutes.
- Serve.
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