Ingredients
This recipe serves 4.
- 4 large onions, preferably yellow for a milder flavor
- 20g butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1L stock, chicken or beef according to your preference
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Country bread, 1 slice for each bowl
- Grated Gruyère cheese, enough to generously cover the bread
- A little grated Parmesan cheese, optional, to mix with the Gruyère
Preparation
- Prepare the onions.Prepare the 4 large onions so they are ready to cook evenly. Yellow onions are particularly well suited to this recipe because of their milder flavor. Keeping the onion pieces reasonably consistent in size helps them soften and color at a similar rate during cooking.
- Slowly cook the onions in the butter.Melt the 20g butter in the pan and add the onions. Cook them slowly, allowing them to soften and gradually develop their natural sweetness. This stage is essential to the flavor of the soup, so avoid trying to force the process with unnecessarily intense heat.As the onions cook, stir them so they are exposed evenly to the heat. Their appearance should gradually change from firm and pale to soft, deeply flavored, and caramelized. The aroma will also become noticeably sweeter and richer as the raw sharpness of the onions disappears.
- Add the flour.Once the onions have developed their caramelized character, add the 1 tablespoon flour and stir it thoroughly through the onions. The flour should be evenly distributed so that it can blend smoothly with the stock in the next stage.Taking the time to stir well here makes it easier to avoid pockets of dry flour. The goal is simply to incorporate it evenly into the onion mixture before adding the liquid.
- Stir in the stock.Slowly pour in the hot stock while stirring constantly. Adding the liquid gradually and continuing to stir helps prevent lumps from forming as the flour combines with the broth.Once all 1L of stock has been incorporated, bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes.The simmering stage allows the flavor of the caramelized onions to blend with the stock. Keep the heat controlled so that the soup cooks gently rather than boiling aggressively throughout the full 20 minutes.At the end of the simmering time, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Because the stock provides much of the savory character of the dish, tasting before making the final adjustment is the best way to keep the seasoning balanced.
Preparing the Individual Bowls
- Prepare the individual bowls.Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). While the oven is heating, divide the hot onion soup evenly among 4 individual heatproof bowls.Take care not to overfill the bowls. Leaving a little space at the top makes it easier to add the bread and cheese and helps keep the soup manageable when the bowls are transferred to and from the oven.Place one slice of country bread on top of each bowl. The bread should sit directly over the soup so that its underside can begin absorbing some of the flavorful broth.Sprinkle the bread generously with grated Gruyère cheese. Covering the bread well creates the characteristic melted cheese topping and ensures that each serving has a rich finish.
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