The last recipe I posted for French Onion soup was from Cook’s Illustrated and the soup came out great. So when I saw that they had an updated recipe, I had to give it a try. The big change between the recipes was that the updated version calls for caramelizing the onions in the oven rather than on the stove top. This change lets you get a lot more flavor out of the onions and means you don’t have to stir the onions every minute. They call this, “The Best French Onion Soup,” and after trying it, I can’t argue!
The Best French Onion Soup
From: Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 6
Notes:
For the best flavor, make the soup a day or 2 in advance. Alternatively, the onions can be prepared through step 1, cooled in the pot, and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe.
Ingredients:
Soup
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 3 pieces
- 6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (Make sure you get Yellow)
- Table salt
- 2 cups water, plus extra for deglazing
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (They recommend Swanson Certified Organic Free Range Chicken Broth )
- 2 cups beef broth (They recommend Pacific Beef Broth)
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine
- 1 bay leaf
- Ground black pepper
Cheese Croutons
- 1 small baguette , cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)
Directions:
For the soup:
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Generously spray the inside of a heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Place the butter in the pot and add the onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, for 1 hour (the onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
- Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, roughly 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions.)
- Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the broths, 2 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
- Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.
For the croutons:
- While the soup simmers, arrange the baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in a 400-degree oven until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
To serve:
- Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Equipment Used:
I’ve always loved French onion soup and this looks fabulous. Thanks so much!
Just finished this great soup. Only two issues: when deglazing the pan with the small amounts of water–I did it one too many times and lost some of that wonderful carmelizing taste (damn! should’ve listened to my nose!) The second was the subject of beef broth, a little more beef I think would have made it a little deeper. However, I did use a nice sherry and that was a good addition.
Thank you for this wonderful site and information.
I reduced the recipe by half and also tried to keep a close eye on the cook time, alas, the onions burned a bit. I am now simmering in the final stage and realize its quite bitter. Any way to reduce the bitterness??? Don’t want to waste all that time and ingredients.
I love French onion soup and have never made it with sherry. When I first tried making onion soup I used red wine which seemed intuitive, but I was never happy with the results until I started using white wine!
yaa,,,it’s really great!Iâ??m going to make it,, for my gf this week 4our dinner “get 2gthr” sheâ??s gonna luv it….thnx alot 4posted French Onion soup recipe…with luv HaWeK
I just made this soup for dinner. My husband and I love french onion soup and I make it fairly frequently. I am a fan of Cooks Illustrated, have learned a lot of great techniques and tricks from them, and trust their judgment immensely. Also, who wouldn’t want to make this soup after seeing the beautiful pictures of it on this blog? [Off topic a bit, but I LOVE the photography on this website. Please keep up the great work. Even when I’m not looking for a specific recipe, it’s just fun to browse the site because it’s so visually appealing.]
Back to soup…
The positives first — I really appreciate how the onion is the highlight of the soup. The onions are not outshone by a strong broth with a winey (is that a word?) flavor which I find is often the case with french onion soup recipes. I believe the carmelization of the onions (as long as its the right level of carmelization) is what sets this recipe apart from the rest. Additionally, my house smelled wonderful this afternoon while the soup was being prepared.
The negative — my onions over-carmelized in the oven, despite me taking them out well before the time allotted by the recipe. I’m all about crusty bits of flavor, but I just ended up with a lot more burnt onion bits in my soup than I cared for. Some of this burnt flavor resonated in the soup and in the after-taste of each bite, so I just didn’t care for that.
I’m not sure I’m sold on the oven carmelization technique. First, it takes a long time and I’m pretty sure I heard the faint ring of a cash register (cha-ching cha-ching) as I thought of the gas bill for keeping the oven on just to carmelize some onions. I feel like I get faster results and have more control when I carmelize on my stovetop.
What I will do differently next time — I think I’m going back to Julia Child’s recipe with some modifications inspired by the Cooks Illustrated recipe. Unlike Julia’s recipe, I won’t just cook the onions to a golden brown. I will carmelize them, on the stove, to a dark brown (not burnt brown). I will also cut back on the alcohol as to not allow that flavor to overpower the broth. Julia recommends deglazing with cognac or brandy. Later in the recipe, she adds dry French white wine or vermouth to the broth. I’m probably halfing, or skipping, the vermouth. Also, I liked the flavor imparted by the thyme and bay leaf as recommended by Cooks Illustrated so that will be added next time too!
This technique sounds interesting, Iâ??m going to try it tomorrow. I have always used Julia Childâ??s recipe which calls for Vermouth instead of Sherry. I always thought the Vermouth overpowered the soup. Going to try it Cookâ??s way instead!
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A lot of extra time wasted, slice a medium yellow onion, brown in a sauce pan with butter or margarin until transparent and semi soft. add one can of beef broth, a splash of worster sauce and simmer for a few minutes, pour into oven safe cups place a slice of french bread slightly toasted cover with jack cheese and broil until cheese is melted. Serves two.
I live so far out in the boonies I can’t find Gruyère, but I used fresh Parmesan and it’s still super yummy!!! Thanks so much!!!
looks great!I’m going to make it for my Aunt Cindy this week for our dinner get together she’s gonna love it.
hey, thanks. i tried to view this same recipe on cooks illustrated, and you apparently have to be a paid member or magazine subscriber to read any of their recipes. So, thanks for sharing. It looks delicious.
I love french onion soup. I make mine with white wine.
Just made a batch and it was delicious; way better than any I have had in a restaurant. Probably took me about a little over an hour once the baking aspect was done, so a little lengthy, but not bad by any means.
They didn’t have Gruyere in my small town store so I went with Swiss with a dash of Parmesan and it was still tasty… might try picking up some Gruyere for tomorrow’s leftovers.
Without the Gruyere (which is allegedly $22/lb) the meal was very satisfying to the budget. Only had to buy the broth and the onions. For six servings it came out to about $1.50/serving.
Simply the best soup I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying. My mother and I are having some right now and she agrees. The Gruyère cheese, although expensive, makes a huge difference. Thanks for the recipe.
This is really was the best French onion soup I have ever had and I have been to France many many times. It takes some time to caramelize the onions properly but it is worth it. Also, I think it is important to use a good cooking sherry. It adds a nice depth to the flavor of the soup.
yummmy good stuff thanks
You can almost taste how delicious this recipe is through your photographs. Yummy!
I love that the onions get cooked in the onion instead of on the stovetop. Very interesting! And I LOVE your photos of the caramelization process. Lovely!
I am so happy everyone loves this recipe as much as I do. I highly recommend getting a subscription to Cook’s Illustrated website.
The Gruyère I used wasn’t $22 a pound, I think it was closer to $11… but I sure would like to try that cheese!
Sherry definitely adds a lot of depth to the soup. Marsala sounds like a great substitution though.
Wow. I adore French onion soup. My parents make it fairly often but this cooking onions in oven thing they haven’t tried. I’ll have to cook this recipe for them .It sounds and looks delicious!
WOW..! What a burst of flavor…The flavor-melding of the Gruyere and caramelized onion , combined with the Parmesan croutons soaked in the two stocks, made for slow savoring…my daughter kept giving out little squeals of “mmmmm” and ” mmm-mmm-mmm “. And yes, the Sherry does make a difference, do not omit, or if you prefer, use a dry Marsala. Two thumbs, and two toes up !! Great pics…Thanks
That looks really good. OMG that cheese is $22.00 a pound.
Unfortunately not my thing, although it does look good.
Looks good even though I dislike onions.
We made this soup, and its fabulous! Great for parties and get togethers! Thanks for this wonderful reciepe.
The soup looks fantastic. Going to try it tonight. I had some of the best onoin soup at the Marriot in Chicago, and had a taste for it ever since.
Thanks for the recipe. Onion soup is one of our stand-by dinners, but I’ve always carmelized the onions on the stove. I will take your advice and try the oven next time.
BTW- BEAUTIFUL photos.
That looks really good. Can I omit the sherry? Or would that make a big difference?
Oh my gosh that was fantastic. We ended up doing it all in one day. Just me and my husband cooking and hanging out. Not only was it a great experience, but I’m on my 3rd bowl (no, not exaggerating).
I think next time we’d use all regular yellow onions (we used 2 Vidalias) but otherwise we wouldn’t change a thing!
Also our dutch oven was only 5 qt and it was fine-plenty of room.
And our corningware is non-broiler friendly so we just baked them at 500 for a few and the cheese still browned and it was still FABULOUS.
We can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you!
PS – that cheese is $22.00 a pound, and I don’t care!
I am in mid process. My baguettes are toasting, my cheese is shredded, and the entire HOUSE smells so good I want to scream.
Cannot wait. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
This looks like a really good french onion soup recipe. I may just have to make some french onion soup tonight!
Wow, I don’t even like French onion soup, but I think I may have to try this one!
I Love French Onion Soup
Looks great! this i will have to make the next time. I love onion soup, usually make it when i have spare onions – which is quite common in my case, because eating a whole pack myself is difficult.
Thanks everyone for all the great comments.
Andy – I am going to try this with home made chicken stock one time. Real stock gives so much extra depth.
Niall – Thanks! Please feel free to use which ever photos you want. It would be great if you could link back here, but no worries if not.
What a great soup!! It looks yummy! I’ve just stumbled it!
The recipe for onion soup in Tony Bourdain’s Les halles Cookbook rules. Well worth trying, but made infinitely better by making your own stock from scratch.
Am loving the blog and the nice clean food pics! The design of the blog is also very simple and impressive! Would love to have some of your photos on my site http://www.ifoods.tv so as they can see a greater audience. Keep up the good work on the blog.
I’m with Andrew, any volunteers
I love french onion soup and this is the best looking that I have come across. Going to attempt this weekend!
That looks (and sounds) delicious!!! Now who volunteers to make it for me?? : )
I love French onion soup. I have made a few different recipes before, and only one I can remember was really good. I am definitely going to try this, I love the technique. Generally everything that takes a long time is usually well worth the extra effort.
Mmm that looks very good! I’ll have to make some – and as I often roast onions I’ll just do a few extra next time and have soup the next day!
Please add (a lot) of garlic! an onoion soup without garlic is no onion soup!
I love French onion soup … but, never think of making it. You have inspired me to make it this weekend! Thank you!
I made this the week I read it in cook’s illustrated. Best French onion soup I’ve ever had. I suggest it to everyone.
holy bejeezus, that looks good. i read the same recipe and was drooling over the description of the triple-caramelization process. i’m going to have to bump this higher up the “to do” list.
This is the best looking French Onion Soup! I am going to attempt to make it today for Easter dinner. I hope it comes out as perfect as your. Thanks for sharing!