Recipe for the Best French Onion Soup

Soupe A L'oignon, Maison

6-8 Servings

Onion soup is simply a large quantitiy of sliced onions slowly cooked and browned in butter, then simmered in beef bouillon. To achieve the tru home-made taste, you'll need a homemade bouillon- beef bones and shank meat simmered for several hours with the usual carrots, onions, celery, seasonings and herbs. If not, you can subsitute canned beef bouillon.

A heavy 4-quart saucepan or casserole
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
A bout 1 1/2 lbs. or 5-6 C thinly sliced yellow onions
1 t salt
1/2 t sugar
3 T flour
2 qts. hot beef bouillon
1 C red or white wine
1 bay leave
1/2 t sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter with the oil in the saucepan or casserole; add the sliced onions and stir up to coat with the butter. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and translucent. Then uncovr the pan, raise heat to med-high, and stir in the salt and sugar. (Sugar, by carmelizing, helps onions to brown.) Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, until onionis have turned an even deep golden brown.

Then lower heat to moderate, stir in the flour, and add a bit more butter if flour does not absorb into a paste with the onions. Cook slowly, stirring continually, for about 2 minuts to brown the flour lightly. Remove from heat.

Pour in about 1 cup of the hot bouillon, stirring with wire whisk to blend flour and bouillon. Add the rest of the bouillon and the wine, bay, and sage, and bring to the simmer. Simmer slwoly for 30-40 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and the soup is done.
Serve with French bread and grated Parmesan cheese, or bake with cheese as follows:

Soupe a ;'Oignon Gratinee
A loaf of French bread
Melted butter
Optional: 1/4 C cognac
1 peeled 2-inch raw onion
A 2-ox. piece Swiss cheese
1 1/2 C grated Swiss and Parmesan cheese, mixed. (Can also use Gruyere).

Cut the braed into slices 1 inch thick, paint lightly with oil or butter and arrange in a layer on baking sheet. Bake in 325F oven for 15-20 minutes, until beginning to brown slightly; turn over and brown lightly on other side 15 minutes. These are called croutes.

Pour the hot soup into a serving casserole or baking dish. Pour in optional cognac, grate in the onion and shave the piece of cheese into fine slivers and strew over the soup. Place a closely packed layer of croutes over top of soup and spread on the grated cheese, covreing the croutes completely. Sprinkle a T of oil or butter over the cheese, and set the soup in middle level of a preheated 350F oven. Bake for approximately 30 min, or until soup is bubbling slowly and cheese has melted.

Just before serving, run the soup under a red hot broker in oven to melt brown the cheese lightly. Pass remaining croutes in a bread tray along with the soup.

Julia Child's recipe from the 1960s and the best!