french onion soup
I’m firmly of the belief that no matter what ails you in the realm of the kitchen, onion soup can cure it. Never cooked before? Don’t think you’ll be able to pull off the kind of cooking you believe you need to go to a restaurant to experience? Start with onion soup. Have only $5 to spend on dinner? Refrigerator is almost bare? Onion soup is your friend. Want your home to have a transcendent aroma bouncing off every wall, the kind that’s so distracting that you don’t even know or care what’s on the stove, only that you must have it now? Onion soup is waiting for you.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 11 of 14 ingredients — the other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 11 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Beef | 100g cooked | 250 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Gruyere Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Wine | 2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml) | 25 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Vermouth | not in our table | 0 |
| Cognac | not in our table | 0 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams or 24 ounces or about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams or 1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt, plus additional to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) granulated sugar (helps the onions to brown)
- 3 tablespoons (24 grams or 7/8 ounce) all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts (8 cups or 1.9 liters) beef or other brown stock*
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) dry white wine or dry white vermouth
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) cognac or brandy (optional)
- 1 tablespoon grated raw onion
- 1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss (I often use Gruyere) or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard