Name: French Onion Soup ~ the way Julia made it, sort of...
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 quarts (64 oz or 1.9 litres) beef stock (or water with beef bouillon); about 5 cups (1.5 lbs or 680 g) of thinly sliced yellow onions (do not use sweet onions); 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp Kosher salt; 1/4 tsp sugar; 3 Tbsp flour; 3 Tbsp butter; 4 oz (118 ml) dry white wine; Kosher salt and pepper to taste; 1 Tbsp Cognac or brandy (optional, Julia's recipe has 3 Tbsp, but I prefer less); French, Italian or rustic bread, cut into bite sized cubes, toasted or croutons; 1 to 2 cups (70 to 140 g) of grated, real Swiss Gruyere (if you can't find it, use Swiss cheese or even better, Jarlsberg)

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Julia Child’s French onion soup recipe is a classic, but I have made one tiny change which I think makes the eating and enjoying of the soup much easier. Sorry Julia, but I would guess, even she would approve!

I recently went to Santa Barbara and had lunch with my mother and daughter at a lovely little French restaurant on State Street.

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I ordered the French onion soup, which I haven’t had or made in a long time, and it made me think how deplorable that was. I adore French onion soup and everything about it: the beefy broth, the glorious caramelized onions, and of course, the incredibly tasty, melty Gruyère cheese on the crispy, crusty, soup-soaked bread! What’s not to love?

So as I often do, when I came home, it went on the “to-make” list. And I made it. And it was awesome.

Love onions? Try this delicious caramelized onion, pancetta and feta cheese tart!

As the title suggests, Julia Child’s French onion soup isn’t a recipe I followed to the letter. Although Julia claims if you don’t use homemade beef stock, you may as well buy onion soup, I say you’re still better off making the soup at home. Just use whatever stock you have on hand, as long as it’s good quality.

Homemade (red lentil) soup is never a bad idea.

The Problem with French Onion Soup

If you’re like me, you probably don’t like fighting with full-sized pieces of bread covered in melted cheese floating in your soup, right? So I suggest bite-sized toasted pieces of bread instead–they are much more manageable.

Another classic French dish: gratin dauphinois (potatoes au gratin)

How do you make Julia Child’s French Onion Soup?

This is not a five minute soup, so just be prepared to caramelize some onions for a good 45 minutes or so. The rest of the soup making process is easy, and the result is truly worth the time and effort. See the ingredient list and step by step directions below.

How to Make Julia Child’s French Onion Soup
with Step by Step Directions (Almost Like Julia’s)

adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

serves 6-8 FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Ingredients

yellow onions
butter
olive oil
Kosher salt or sea salt
sugar
flour
beef stock (or water with beef bouillon)
dry white wine
cognac or brandy (optional)
French, Italian or rustic loaf bread
Gruyere cheese

Special equipment: oven safe bowls (I found some inexpensive ones at Home Goods which were made in Italy, however, these are the only bowls I found on Amazon that weren’t made in China).

Caramelize the Onions

In a large, heavy bottomed Dutch oven (☚ this is the one I have), add the butter and oil, then the sliced onions. Cook slowly, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Remove the lid, turn the heat up to medium, add the salt and sugar, and stir often for about 40 minutes (mine took 45), until the onions are a deep golden brown. If anyone tells you that you can caramelize onions in 15 minutes, they don’t know anything about caramelizing onions.

Finish Making the French Onion Soup

Next, add the flour and continue to cook and stir for another 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the stock/water/bouillon and wine.

Add salt and pepper to taste and return to the cooktop, and simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Just before the soup is ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the Soup for Serving

When the soup is ready, add the brandy/Cognac, if using and check for seasoning; ladle it into ovenproof bowls, and top with the cubes of toasted bread or even croutons.

Now, don’t go and ruin this lovely French onion soup by using poor quality cheese! Use the best, real Gruyere from Switzerland, please. Julia and I agree on this one! However, if you can’t find proper Gruyere, or can’t afford it, you can substitute Swiss cheese, but even better, try Jarlsberg.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the toast, as desired. I like everything in moderation (the cheese on the bowl in the photo above, from the restaurant in Santa Barbara was a bit too much for me) so this might be a wimpy amount of cheese for you; if so, add more.

Repeat to make 6 bowls, then place them on a tray and put into the center of the oven for about 15 minutes.

Melt the Gruyère Cheese on top of the Soup

Finally, reset the oven to broil (grill) and move the tray of bowls closer to the top to get a nice golden color on the cheese, which should be watched carefully as it can burn quickly.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

As I said, French onion soup made Julia Child style is well worth the effort!

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The recipe for Julia Child’s French Onion Soup can be printed here~