French Onion Soup From Scratch

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange meat, bones, carrots and onions in a roasting pan and place in middle of oven. Turn the ingredients occasionally so they will brown evenly, in 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and drain fat from roasting pan. Transfer the browned ingredients to a soup kettle. Add salt and celery stalks and bouquet garni tied in a cheesecloth.

Add water to just cover and bring to a slow simmer - avoid boiling - and skim any scum that rises to the top as it forms. partially cover leaving a gap of about one inch. Maintain a very slow simmer for 4 to 5 hours. As the liquid level falls below the level of the ingredients top up with boiling water.

Strain the stock into a bowl, allow to cool, and refrigerate over night. Next day remove any fat that has solidified on the surface of the stock. If there is more stock than needed for the soup it may be frozen.

To make soup, cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in a heavy 4-quart covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Uncover pan, raise heat to moderate and stir in salt and sugar.

Cook for 30 to 40 minutes with stirring until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown. Sprinkle in flour and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and blend in stock, white wine, salt and pepper Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Just before serving stir in cognac.

To make croutes, place the bread in a single layer on a roasting pan and bake for a bout 30 minutes in a 325 degrees F oven. Halfway through baking, baste each side with a little oil. After baking, rub each side with the garlic.

To serve:

(i) Pour soup into cups over croutes and garnish with a generous sprinkling of grated Swiss and/or Parmesan cheese; or

(ii) Sprinkle cheese mixture over croutes, melt under broiler and float in the soup bowl just before serving; or

(iii) Float croutes on bowls of soup, sprinkle with cheese mixture and heat in 325 F oven until cheese has melted. Brown under broiler before serving.

cook's notes

This recipe is work!! It will take a couple of days but is well worth the effort. You can use a commercial stock but the results will not be as good.

Recipe Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child et al