Onion is a soup that most of us associate with a dense flavor and a cheese crust on the surface. But this version is different after all. Authentic, simple and exactly as you can enjoy it in a real Parisian bistro.
I couldn’t find this recipe in a cookbook or on the internet. I got it from my friend Dominika Brezarová from Prague, the owner of a cooking channel on social networks, who discovered this tasty onion during her trip to Paris and has been cooking it all the time at home since then. And when I tasted it for the first time, I understood why. It is a soup full of quality ingredients with full flavor and a pinch of patience. Just the way the French do it.
French Onion Recipe
Ingredients:
– 4 large yellow onions
– 2 tablespoons of butter
– 1 tablespoon of olive oil
– 1 dcl of dry white or sparkling wine
– 750 ml of high-quality beef or poultry stock
– 2 sprigs of thyme
– salt and freshly ground pepper
– a baguette cut into slices
– 80-100 g of grated Gruyère or Comté cheese
Procedure:
1. Peel the onion and cut it into thin half rings. I heat the butter with olive oil in a pot and slowly fry the onion over a low heat. Be patient, it can easily take 25 to 30 minutes, but this is where the basis of the whole flavor is created.
2. Once the onion is dark golden and , I lightly salt it, pepper it and add thyme. I stir briefly to release the aroma of the herbs.
3. I pour in the wine and let it evaporate almost completely. This step gives the onion a kind of subtle depth that you just don’t get without alcohol.
4. Pour in the broth and let the soup bubble very lightly for about 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. In the meantime, I toast the baguette slices until golden. I pour the soup into bowls, add a crouton, cover with cheese and bake for a short time in the oven until the cheese melts and acquires a beautifully browned color.
What makes this onion so special
My friend told me about this recipe at the time: “In France, I understood that chives are not about the cheese on top, but about the onions at the bottom.” And she was right. The basis is slow roasting without rushingwithout burning and cheating.
The result is a soup that tastes incredibly sweet. Just the way the French like it. Whenever I cook it at home, I feel like I’m transported to a small place for a while, where no one is in a hurry and the food has time to be truly authentic.
