One of my favorites. This soup was an adventure for me to experiment and try to perfect. The French Onion Soup also has a lot of history traced back to ancient Rome 8,000 years ago. The French Onion Soup we know today was developed in Paris, France in the 18th century. Although a lot of chefs now are trying to refine it further, there is a base standard for it to be called a French Onion Soup;
- Has to be made with Beef stock, not broth.
- Caramelized onions
- Cheese (many chefs argue the use of Gruyere cheese)
- Bread
- Stock
- Garlic
What is the difference between stock and broth?
well, a stock is a liquid that is created by cooking bones, while broth is used by cooking the meat. Both share the same Mirepoix (a Mirepoix is Onions, Carrots, Celery. The ratio is 50% Onion, 25% carrot, 25% Celery). Although a Broth can be served by itself, a stock can not since it is considered an unfinished product used to create other recipes. A broth can be served as a soup by itself while a stock has to go through further cooking to be served and considered a soup.
Here is the recipe I use to make the French Onion Soup.
Ingredients
- 5 Large Onions Small dice
- 3 cups Beef stock (chicken stock can be used)
- 100g Gruyere cheese Shredded
- 100g white chedder Shredded
- French or Italian bread Sliced (French bread preferred as it is a FRENCH onion soup)
- 2 cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1oz White win
- 1oz Sherry wine
- 1oz Brandy or Cognac
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- black pepper To taste
This recipe servers 1-2 people
*If you would like to make your own stock, here is a recipe.
- 4 lb of beef bones
- 340g Large onion
- 170g Carrot
- 170g Celery
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 bay leaves
- small amount of peppercorns
- salt to taste
- Optional parsley stems
Start by washing the bones as to get rid of impurities. After they have been washed place them in a roasting pan and put them in the oven at 450F for about 30-45 minutes or until dark brown. Then add them to a large pot and fill it with water till the bones are covered. Add the Mirepoix, the bay leaves, garlic, and peppercorns. Putting your herbs and spiced in a sachet is very useful, as you don’t have to go swimming for them later. Let it reach a simmer then lower the heat so it remains a simmer (you do not want it to boil). every once in awhile skim the fat forming on top of the broth. Cook the stock for at least 2 hours (the more you cook it the richer it gets). Normally a Beef stock is cooked for 8 hours, but 2 hours should be enough as we will be cooking this stock down. once its done cooking strain it and place on the side or until ready to use. If you plan on using the stock on a later day, stocks can last from 3-4 days when stored.
A good stock must be clear, a good color, has body, and good to the palate.
Now back to the French Onion Soup
Start by caramelizing the onions in the olive oil on low heat until dark brown, this will take time. Once the onions are nice and dark brown add the crushed garlic and black pepper then let cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the Alcohol and let the alcohol cook off. Once that is done, add the stock and the cheddar cheese to the stock and give a quick stir. let the stock reduce by about 1/3, then move/portion to a oven safe bowl. Preheat the the oven using the broiler on low. place the bread on an oven tray and place into the oven, turn over in about 2-3 minutes or when starting to brown. Once the bread is done, place it on top of the already portioned bowls. Cover in cheese and place in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. Once it is done and the cheese is melted and starting to brown take out and let sit for 3-4 minutes. I prefer to eat my soup flaming hot. If it is still too hot let it sit a bit longer.
The French Onion Soup is a wonderful edition to a snowy day. The aroma while it is still in the oven makes everyone around wait in anticipation. Once it is out and resting a wonderful sweet, acidic, cheesy smell that warms you up. Its creamy texture from the caramelized onion and melted cheddar is a wonderful addition. The saltiness from the cheddar creates a balance of salty, and sweet. A hint of spice from the black pepper. Lets not forget the Gruyere cheese adding a balanced sweet, and salty nutty flavor on top. There is also a slight sour flavor from the alcohol and a slight bitter taste from the cognac. All this combined creates a savory flavor that makes you want to keep eating.
This recipe took a really long time to reach this point of success, a lot of failed trials. My biggest struggle was the fiber on the onion. I experimented with a lot of different ingredients until I had an epiphany. It was a simple solution, REMOVE the vinegar and use white wine. The science behind it is that onions contain a fiber called Inulin. Although this fiber is quite healthy, the texture it creates in the soup is not pleasant. Knowing that vinegar actually slows down the fiber break down resulting in a fibrous soup. By replacing vinegar with white wine, I achieved a less fibrous french onion soup. Another issue I faced was also with the onions. The strings that onions tend to have caused by the skin between each layer haunted me. The solution; dice the onions instead of julienne. Although the skin is still there in the soup, it is not strings anymore making the soup more enjoying to eat.
References /Citations
Image; Silver, S. (2019, February 3). Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/FjxEnioTNs0/info.
Stock: Foley, A. (2019, September). Theory of Food I. Theory of Food I. Toronto.
Soup: Foley, A. (2019, September). Theory of Food I. Theory of Food I. Toronto.
Rockèt Recipes 