French Onion Soup

You’ll find this on the menu in every Brasserie in Paris. It’s always on the menu in the chic left bank Café de Flore.

Ingredients

• 500g onions
• 2 cloves garlic crushed (optional)
• 25g butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tbsp flour
• 300 ml beef stock
• 1 glass of white wine
• Baguette or thickly cut white bread
• Gruyère or Emmenthal

Preparation

1. Peel and thinly slice the onions.
2. In a heavy based saucepan heat the butter an oil and sauté onions over a low to medium heat for 30 minutes. Stir them regularly. They are ready when they are soft, sticky, sweet and deep gold in colour. You can add a pinch of sugar at this point to help the onions caramelise but I find it too sweet. Add crushed garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then pour in 300ml of boiling beef stock and a glass of white wine. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding boiled water if it gets too thick.
4. Add salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into heatproof bowls, place a thick slice of bread cut in a circle or 3 slices of baguette close together.
6. Cover with grated Gruyère or Emmenthal. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or grill until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted, turning golden brown.