\n<\/p>\n
As is true of \u201cFrench toast\u201d and \u201cFrench fries,\u201d \u201cFrench onion soup\u201d is not known as such in France.<\/p>\n
Referred to most often as soupe \u00e0 l\u2019oignon, this hearty dish is a staple at weddings, when it\u2019s served at the end of the night\u2014with the questionable goal of lining the stomach after all that Champagne. It\u2019s also a frequent offering at the restaurants dotting the 1st arrondissement near the former food market of Les Halles (dubbed the \u201cBelly of Paris\u201d by nineteenth-century novelist Emile Zola).<\/p>\n
At Au P\u00e8re Tranquille or the 24-hour Au Pied de Cochon, you\u2019ll find bubbling bowls of the stuff served at all hours\u2014a holdover from when these brasseries catered to the forts des Halles. Following an early morning of hefting boxes and crates, these \u201cstrong men\u201d of Les Halles needed something to sustain them for the rest of the day, and a soup of cheap caramelized onions, nourishing beef broth, and a bit of gooey melted cheese was just the ticket.<\/p>\n
Chef Ed Delling-Willliams, an English expat who moved first to Paris, then to the Normandy countryside, intends to serve French onion soup to revelers in the early hours of New Year\u2019s Day at his Coutances restaurant, The Presbyt\u00e8re.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to do something for New Year\u2019s Eve that really was quite traditional and typical of France, and that we can serve at around 1 in the morning,\u201d he explains. \u201cNothing really fit until I landed on French onion soup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Want your home to feel like his Normandy pub? Keep these chefs\u2019 six tips in mind as you pursue French onion soup perfection.<\/p>\n
Golden-brown onions are the heart and soul of a good French onion soup. The type used varies from chef to chef. Some like sweet Vidalias, while others prefer classic yellow onions slowly caramelized until their natural sugars render them rich and succulent.<\/p>\n
Either way, you\u2019re going to need a lot of them\u2014\u201cway more than you think,\u201d according to Delling-Williams.<\/p>\n
If using large Vidalias, use four or five onions for six to eight people. If using smaller ones, go for a bit more than a half-pound per person.<\/p>\n
Sounds like a tearful affair? Break out the onion goggles, and take advantage of a few other modern conveniences.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to cut up about 25 kilos [55 pounds] of onions to make a gallon of soup,” he says. \u201cBut if you\u2019ve got a Robotcoupe, it\u2019ll slice the onions in about a minute.\u201d Just be sure to use the slicing disc, he warns. \u201cOtherwise, you get mush.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most recipes call for cooking the onions low and slow in a heavy-bottomed pot greased with a mix of butter and olive oil, butter and duck fat, or all three. After far longer than you\u2019d think of cooking them, stirring occasionally, the onions will finally take on a deeply caramelized, golden-brown color. While purists recommend seasoning them simply with just salt and pepper, others lean on the caramelization powers of a pinch of sugar to help them along.<\/p>\n
Chef Delling-Williams also has a \u201ctrick\u201d to ensure his onions develop an even richer, caramelized aroma.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people like to sweat their onions down in a little bit of oil,\u201d he says. \u201cI put in an enormous<\/em> amount of oil. Like a liter of oil. Like loads and loads of oil. And I kind of fry them in that.\u201d<\/p>\n A one-to-one onion-to-oil ratio, he says, results in deep-fried onions with tons of color and flavor. All that oil doesn\u2019t make it into the final soup, of course. Once you combine the mixture with the beef stock, Delling-Williams says, you can chill the entire soup down and skim any remaining fat off the top before reheating and serving.<\/p>\n Chef Thomas Graham of Le Mermoz in Paris’ 8th arrondissement also deviates a bit from tradition by adding a touch of flour right to the fat and onions. This de facto roux will help to slightly thicken the soup, giving it more body.<\/p>\n The most traditional cheese choice\u2014hot off its win at the World Cheese Awards, naturally\u2014is nutty Swiss Gruy\u00e8re. It melts beautifully, resulting in loads of luscious cheese pull and heaps of flavor.<\/p>\n But you can, of course, toy with tradition. The team at Bichettes in Paris’ 10th arrondissement opt for Comt\u00e9 for similar flavor and a made-in-France appeal, and at Bouillon R\u00e9publique in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement, they use Cantal, one of France\u2019s oldest cheeses, with a texture and flavor profile more similar to cheddar.<\/p>\n Grate the cheese of your choice, and pile it atop a slice of stale baguette floating on the soup; the bread will form a barrier between the two, so that when you broil it (in an oven-proof bowl, bien s\u00fbr), the cheese can melt into the soup’s crowning glory.<\/p>\n Traditionalists agree that French onion soup has one base and one base only.<\/p>\n \u201cIt should be made with beef stock,\u201d says chef Chris Edwards of Paris\u2019s Le Saint-S\u00e9bastien. Indeed, beef broth is by far the most common base for French onion soup, lending a lusty richness and umami character that play oh-so-well with the sweet caramelized onions.<\/p>\n But there are other possible approaches. At Bichettes, the team makes a vegetarian version of the soup with house-made vegetable broth, a boon that does double-duty in helping the kitchen cut down on food waste.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we prep our vegetables for our beef pot au feu, we keep all the trimmings,\u201d explains co-owner Agathe Fondeville. Those go into a pot with thyme, bay, and a few other odds and ends, and boom: veggie broth.<\/p>\n \u201cFrench onion soup is super-good, but it\u2019s not always super-sexy,\u201d Fondeville says, citing cooks\u2019 penchant for placing a bit of bread in the bottom of each bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s kind of a pity,\u201d she says. \u201cThe texture isn\u2019t great.\u201d So at Bichettes, chefs top their iteration with golden puff pastry rather than baguette, and add a double dose of Comt\u00e9: some atop the pastry, and even more grated right into the soup.<\/p>\n At Le Mermoz across town, Graham pushes the soup even further out of its comfort zone, turning the onions into a pur\u00e9e and topping them with a cheese foam.<\/p>\n He and his team \u201cchanged pretty much everything about the recipe but retained the most important part\u2014the flavor of caramelized onions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnions are my hands-down favorite vegetable,\u201d he says. What better way to show them off?<\/p>\n Yes, you can make the bulk of this soup in advance, but a few touches do work better at the very last minute.<\/p>\n Edwards, for instance, recommends finishing the soup with white wine at the last minute\u2013 At Au Pied de Cochon, the onions and broth are held separately until service, something Delling-Williams says likely helps the restaurant avoid unbalanced portions. Otherwise, \u201cyou\u2019ve got soups that have got loads of onions in them, and then near [the end], you\u2019ve got soup with loads of onions and no broth,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a smart approach if you\u2019re hosting a crowd. Otherwise, \u201cfor someone at home,\u201d he muses, \u201cyou\u2019re just gonna make the soup and eat the soup.\u201d<\/p>\n Wise words. Here are some of our favorite French onion soup recipes.<\/p>\n This traditional French onion soup begins with a full three pounds of onions, slowly caramelizing in a combo of butter and olive oil. Veal stock, thyme, and bay leaves create a rich stock that can be livened up with wine or beer. A four-cheese combo of gouda, Gruy\u00e8re, Parmesan, and Pecorino add both nuttiness and funk to the finished bowl.<\/p>\n The best French onion soup, according to Nicholas Day, begins with chef Chad Robertson\u2019s \u201cbrilliant\u201d recipe in Tartine Bread<\/em>. A m\u00e9lange of duck fat and butter conveys richness to the onions, which you finish with chicken stock and heavy cream.<\/p>\n A vegetarian version of French onion soup employs vegan Worcestershire sauce to add depth to a base of caramelized onions, vermouth, and water. Asparagus spears lend a vegetal note; cheddar croutons a salty one.<\/p>\n Sohla El-Waylly\u2019s French Onion Soup-ffl\u00e9 is a delightful portmanteau of two French stalwarts: French onion soup and cheese souffl\u00e9. Start by flamb\u00e9eing deeply caramelized onions in bourbon, then marry them to rich bone broth, nutty Gruy\u00e8re, and crunchy panko bread crumbs.<\/p>\n 3. Pick the Right Cheese<\/h2>\n
4. Mind Your Broth<\/h2>\n
5. Be Willing To Deviate<\/h2>\n
6. The Power of \u201c\u00c0 la Minute\u201d<\/h2>\n
\n\u201c\u2018Raw,\u2019 for lack of a better word.\u201d This, he says, helps the wine retain its brightness.<\/p>\nFrench Onion Soup<\/a><\/h3>\n
Best French Onion Soup<\/a><\/h3>\n
Vegetarian French Onion Soup With Asparagus & Cheesy Croutons<\/a><\/h3>\n
French Onion Soup-ffl\u00e9<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n
\nSign up for our e-mail newsletter<\/a> and we’ll pop up in your inbox with tonight’s dinner inspiration, tips and tweaks to refresh every room in your home, and lots more ways to eat thoughtfully and live joyfully.<\/em>
\n<\/center>\n <\/div>\n