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French onion soup in a white casserole dish seen from above, with two slices of baguette and a small bowl of grated cheese on the side

French onion soup

Deeply caramelized onions, beef stock, baguette croutons and bubbling Gruyère.

Adapted from Andy Cooks

Prep
40 min
Cook
2 hr
Total
2 hr 40 min
Difficulty
easy

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 2 kg brown onions, thinly sliced
  • 50 mL olive oil, plus a drizzle for the croutons
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 100 mL brandy
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • Worcestershire sauce, 6 dashes
  • Maggi seasoning, 4 dashes
  • 1 L beef stock
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 1 baguette, thinly sliced
  • 150 g Gruyère cheese, grated

Steps

  1. Melt the butter with the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and a big pinch of salt.
  2. Stir well, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cook slowly for 1.5 hours, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes. You can go faster over higher heat, but you will need to stir more often.
  3. Once the onions are caramelized and have a good dark color, add the bay leaves, then the brandy, and let the alcohol cook off. Careful, on a gas stove the brandy can catch fire.
  4. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  5. Add the flour to the onions and stir.
  6. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Maggi seasoning, then the beef stock and rosemary. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
  7. Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toast them in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
  8. Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, top with 2 to 3 croutons, then the grated cheese.
  9. Place under the oven broiler until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.