From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child
SOUPE À L’OIGNON (Onion Soup)
The onions for an 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 2½ hours at least from start to finish. Though the preliminary cooking in butter requires some watching, the actual simmering can proceed almost unattended.
For 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1½ lb or about 5 cups of thinly sliced yellow onions
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp oil
A heavy-bottomed, 4-quart covered saucepan
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar (helps the onions to brown)
3 Tbsp flour
2 quarts boiling brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or 1 quart of boiling water and 1 quart of stock or bouillon
½ cup dry white wine, dry white vermouth, or dry red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp cognac
Rounds of hard-toasted French bread (Croûtes)
1 to 2 cups grated Swiss or parmesan cheese
Directions
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 the 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.
(*) Set aside uncovered until ready to serve. Then reheat to the simmer.
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.
GARNISHINGS FOR ONION SOUP
Croûtes – hard-toasted French bread
12 to 16 slices of French bread cut ¾ to 1-inch thick
Olive oil or beef drippings
A cut clove of garlic
Place the bread in one layer in a roasting pan and bake in a preheated 325° oven for about half an hour, until it is thoroughly dried out and lightly browned.
Halfway through the baking, each side may be basted with a teaspoon of olive oil or beef drippings; and after baking, each piece may be rubbed with the garlic.
Croûtes au Fromage – cheese croûtes
Grated Swiss or parmesan cheese
Olive oil or beef drippings
Spread one side of each croûte with grated cheese and sprinkle with drops of olive oil or beef drippings. Brown under a hot broiler before serving.
VARIATION
Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée (Onion Soup Gratinéed with Cheese)
The preceding onion soup
A fireproof tureen or casserole or individual onion soup pots
2 oz Swiss cheese cut into very thin slivers
1 Tbsp grated raw onion
12 to 16 rounds of hard-toasted French bread
1½ cups grated Swiss, or Swiss and parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil or melted butter
Preheat oven to 325°.
Bring the soup to the boil and pour into the tureen or soup pots. Stir in the slivered cheese and grated onion. Float the rounds of toast on top of the soup, and spread the grated cheese over it. Sprinkle with the 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.