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Chef Mise
French Onion Soup: Onions tortured into brown jam, topped with cheese lava.

French Onion Soup

Onions tortured into brown jam, topped with cheese lava.

Total: 2 hrsDifficulty: MediumYield: 4 Servings

Timing note: 2 hours

FrenchBeefLunch

The Key Move

There is no shortcut

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The Setup

  • Cutting Board
  • Chef's Knife
  • Spatula
  • TongsOptional

The Mise en Place

4

Your prep station before cooking begins

The Braise (0/2)

500 mLbeef stock(Rich and dark)
60 mLsherry/cognac(For deglazing)

Other (0/2)

200 gyellow onions (5lbs)(Julienned (pole to pole))
200 ggruyère cheese(The only acceptable cheese. Nutty and melts perfectly.)

My soup tastes sweet but it just doesn't have that deep onion flavor.

Ah, I see. You're missing that rich, complex depth because the onions didn't get dark enough. Remember, slow and low is the secret to truly caramelizing them. It's the difference b…

My croutons turned to complete mush when I put them in the soup.

That's a common hurdle! To prevent your bread from dissolving, you need to toast it until it's truly hard and sturdy *before* it ever meets the soup. Think of it as giving it struc…

Chef's Notes

Tip

Caramelize onions slowly over low heat, stirring often, for the deepest flavor. This can take 45-60 minutes.

Tip

Deglaze the pot with wine or sherry to scrape up browned bits. This adds immense depth to the broth.

Serving

Serve piping hot with a thick slice of toasted baguette topped with Gruyère and broiled until bubbly.

Make Ahead

The soup base (without bread/cheese) can be made 1-2 days ahead and reheated. Assemble just before serving.

The Method

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