Soupe A L'Oignon
(This recipe is from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol 1.)
Ingredients
| 1 ½ lbs. or about 5 cups of thinly sliced yellow onions |
2 qts. boiling brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or 1 qt boiling water and 1 qt stock or bouillon |
| 3 Tb butter |
½ c dry white wine or dry white vermouth |
| 1 Tb oil |
salt and pepper to taste |
| 1 tsp salt |
3 Tb cognac |
¼ tsp sugar |
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread |
3 Tb flour |
1 to 2 cups grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese |
| 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced then stir-fried until golden |
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The onions for onion soup need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long slow simmering in stock for them to develop the deep, rich flavor which characterizes a perfect brew. You should therefore count on 2 ½ hours at least from start to finish. Though the preliminary cooking in butter requires some watching, the actual simmering can proceed almost unattended.
Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in the covered saucepan for 15 minutes.
Uncover, raise heat to moderate, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown.
Sprinkle in flour and stir for 3 minutes.
Off heat, blend in the boiling liquid. Add the wine, and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes or more, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning.
Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Pour into a soup tureen or soup cups over the rounds of bread, and pass the cheese separately.
Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinee
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Bring the soup to a boil and pour into the oven safe tureen or oven safe soup pots. Float rounds of toast on top, and spread grated cheese over it. Sprinke with oil or butter. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, then set for a minute or two under a preheated broiler to brown the top lightly. Serve immediately.