Speedy French Onion Soup
Updated Nov. 1, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3pounds yellow onions (about 6 medium), peeled and thinly sliced
- 5cups beef broth, preferably homemade
- ½cup apple juice
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1tablespoon Cognac
- 8 to 12¼-inch-thick slices French baguette, depending on the diameter of the loaf
- ¼pound Gruyere cheese, grated
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
544 calories; 16 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 26 grams protein; 1817 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until caramelized and very soft, about 30 minutes. Place in a large saucepan. Add the broth, apple juice, 1½ teaspoons of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the Cognac. Taste, and add more salt, if needed.
- Step 2
Just before serving, preheat the broiler. Reheat the soup if necessary, and ladle into 4 large ovenproof bowls. Cover each with the bread, sprinkle with cheese and broil until melted and just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove from oven and serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Lower stress and less chance of sunken bread: rather than broiling the soup bowls, put lightly toasted baguette slices on a flat pan or piece of foil, grate the cheese on top, and broil. Then slip into the middle of each bowl and serve.
I've read that traditional French onion soup is not made with beef broth, just the beautiful broth derived from the onions. It is, after all, a peasant dish and the peasants didn't have a lot of beef. I read that in "Ruhlman's 20."
This is an easy recipe. I used thinly sliced pears from the orchard in place of the apple juice. A sip of Cognac during the the preparation of the onions helps pass the time too. Experiment with the cheese to taste. Enjoy!
I'm American but have lived in France for a decade now and none of the French I know make beef-broth-based onion soup: it's a vegetarian dish. I know the Julia Child recipe calls for a beef broth but, asking around, not a single French person in my area heard of it. We did serve a beef-broth-based onion soup at a work dinner I hosted and everybody loved it so they're not opposed to it but they still say it's delicious but not traditional French onion soup.
Followed the recipe exactly but used apple sauce instead of apple juice. It also took almost twice as long for all those onions to caramelize, about 50 minutes. My family devoured it! Not a drop left.
Lower stress and less chance of sunken bread: rather than broiling the soup bowls, put lightly toasted baguette slices on a flat pan or piece of foil, grate the cheese on top, and broil. Then slip into the middle of each bowl and serve.
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