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 Gruyere 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 made 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 soup is never a bad idea.
The Problem with French Onion soup
I don’t like fighting with full-sized pieces of French bread covered in cheese floating in my soup and I know others agree. So I suggest bite-sized toasted pieces of bread instead–they are much more manageable.
Another classic French dish: Gratin Dauphinois
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 or dry vermouth
- cognac or brandy (optional)
- French, Italian or rustic loaf bread
- Gruyere cheese
Special equipment: oven safe bowls (I found some at Home Goods which were made in Italy, however, these are the only bowls I found on Amazon that weren’t made in China, and they are a bit pricy.)
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.
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/vermouth.
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.
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 about 6 bowls, then place them on a tray and put into the center of the oven for about 15 minutes.
Melt the 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 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~
French Onion Soup ~ the way Julia made it, sort of...
Julia Child's recipe for French Onion Soup with a couple of itty-bitty change from me :)
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 or dry Vermouth
- 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
- 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)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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/vermouth.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use the best, real Gruyere from Switzerland, if you possibly can. 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.
- 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.
Notes
This results of this soup really depends on the quality of ingredients, most importantly, the cheese and bread. Try to find Gruyere from Switzerland, if possible.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 bowlAmount Per Serving:Calories: 435Total Fat: 22gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 21g
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Julia Child’s French Onion Soup Recipe
Lovely soup. Made Julia’s French baguettes several days ago (heavenly) so thought I’d pair with her soup tonight. Since we’re getting a foot of snow… I also don’t care for soup smothered in melted cheese – ugh. Thank you for the recipe!
Great pairing for a cold night! Thanks, Susan! Hope you find more soup recipes to enjoy on my site!
Wonderful recipe, thanks so much!
And thanks a million (from an Australian) for including the metric measurements.
I’m so excited to make Julie and Christina’s onion soup. I decided to make Julia’s authentic beef stock every things ready but the stock. So that now requires a drive for leaks , carrots and celery, not to forget beef bones. We have liquid Wegmans beef bones but Julia is taking to me so off I go. So excited to know you Christina. Will get back to you on the out come. Might start tomorrow AM.
Oh you’re a gem, Anita! Good for you making the real deal stock! Let me know how it turns out!
I just made this soup… very rich – next time going to try the old “peasant” way with water. For sure I’ll have to cut the bread. That was like a wrestling match in my bowl; I think the bread got the best of me 🤕 this is a wonderful recipe though, I’m going to use it with just water in place of the broth and let you know how it turns out.
Ah yes, which is why I do little cubes instead! The bread always wins! Good luck next time, Rachel! :)
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