How do I make really amazing old fashioned french onion soup - the kind with melted cheese and bread?

Answer 1

Your whole entire house, you, and all of your belongings will smell like onion soup if you make it. A lady I work with made it over a weekend and her purse smelled like stale onion soup for 2 weeks. It was pretty icky.

Bon apetite

Answer 2

French onion soup is actually one of the simplest soups to make.

Saute thin sliced onions over high heat in a heavy bottomed pot. I use olive oil because it handles the high heat better. Stir the onions frequently to cook them evenly and prevent burning.

Onions are actually high in sugar content, and as the onions cook the sugar will "caramelize" and turn brown. Keep stirring until the onions are like a mass of soft, brown noodles.

Add a savory herb, like thyme and rosemary, to give it an earthy flavor and aroma. Then add your beef broth, usually made with the little cubes. Remember, they are mostly salt, so don't make the broth too strong. Reduce heat and simmer.

Toast the bread and cut it into rounds that fit your soup dish. Fill the bowl, float a toast round, top with a slice of jack or mozzarella cheese, melt under the broiler on your oven, and serve.

One pot, five common ingredients, lots of stirring.

Yum.

This soup holds well, so make it a day or two ahead and save it in the frige.

Answer 3

1 stick butter (8 Tablespoons)
8 cups onions, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons flour
3 quarts beef stock
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup brandy
grated Gruyere cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
French bread
olive oil

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and add the onions, stirring constantly. cook for 5-7 minutes, until soft.
In the meantime, cut slices of French bread into 1/2 inch pieces and toast them at 350 degrees in the oven for about 15 minutes--until they are dry crusts.

When the onions are soft, sprinkle them with flour, stir, then add 2 cups of beef stock and stir until the mixture is thickened. Add the remaining stock, stir into 1 Tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and the brandy. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour to an hour. Add the meat glaze and taste for seasoning.

When you're ready to serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and cover each with a thick handful of Gruyere cheese. Top each with a piece of the toasted bread, which has been drizzled with olive oil. Sprinkle it with the Parmesan, then run them under a broiler for a few minutes and carry out to the table.

Answer 4

We in St Louis could get this wonderful soup at Famous Barr (just became part of Macy's) in their restaurants. Here is the recipe from about 25 years ago:

Famous Barr's French Onion Soup - 2 quarts finished soup

soup:
1 pound peeled onions
4 oz butter or margarine (we used butter)
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons paprika
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup flour
3 quarts canned beef boullion
1 cup white wine (optional but so good)
2 teaspoons salt

topping for each bowl:
3 (1 1/2 inch) slices French bread
1 1/2 oz Swiss cheese
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Slice onions 1/8 inch thick. Melt butter, place onions in it, saute slowly for 1 1/2 hours in a large soup pot. Add all other ingredients except boullion, saute over low heat 10 minutes more. Add boullion and simmer 2 hours. Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring or kitchen bouquet. Season with salt to taste. Put in refrigerator (recipe states "icebox") overnight.

Proper serving: Heat soup. Fill fireproof casserole or individual fireproof bowls with 8 ounces of soup. Float on soup three 1 1/2 slices French bread and top with 1 1/2 imported Swiss cheese. Place under broiler until browned, about 5 minutes at 550F degrees.

Answer 5

Easy! Slice up a ton of yellow onions (maybe 8). Saute in about a stick of butter, use a wide, deep pan. Add a sprinkle of sugar. Stir occasionally and keep waiting. Then add 8 cups beef stock/broth. (I'd use the au jus from the previous night's cooking) then put in about 1/2 cup of white wine. Use a crusty bread slice, put your favorite cheese on it. Now, you can either put the crouton in the microwave to melt the cheese and put the crouton on top of the soup, or some place put the un-nuked crouton and cheese on the bottom of the bowl and let the heat of the soup do the work.

I love French Onion soup.

Answer 6

BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP

6 large white onions, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
9 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 slices white bread
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 slices gruyere or provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove the crusts from slices of white bread. Bake bread pieces 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden and crisped. Set aside.

Sauté sliced onions in olive oil over medium heat until onions become translucent but not brown. Add minced garlic cloves to onions during last few minutes, making sure garlic does not brown.

Stir in beef broth and seasonings. Minor’s concentrated beef stock works well for this recipe. If using, follow directions on label for reconstituting. Otherwise use canned or homemade beef broth.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste adding salt and pepper as required. Remember that Parmesan cheese is salty, so don't overdo with the salt.

Ladle the soup into ovenproof serving bowls, one for each serving. Cover soup with a slice of bread. Top with Gruyère or provolone and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Place serving bowls under broiler set on high. Broil six to seven minutes or until cheese is bubbly and has some browning.

Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling at table.

Makes about eight servings.

Answer 7

1 - 2 lbs of onions, sliced (I use a mixture of white and red onions)
1 stick of butter (NOT MARGERINE)
1 bottle of red wine (a better wine always makes your soup base taste better)
*I add fresh rosemary and thyme to mine, but it's your call
Salt and FRESHLY GROUND Pepper


In a slow cooker, put the butter stick, sliced onions, wine and seasonings together. Cook until onions are tender, mixture is reduced and the stock mixture resembles a thick liquid.

Once this is cooked, you can freeze this as your french onion soup base, and it freezes well. However, if you want to actually, you know, EAT it, take one part of the above mix with one part water... this will make the watery soup that we all know. Put this into a broiler-proof dish and place a slice of toasted french bread with shredded cheese on the top. *I prefer to use a mix of mozzerella, swiss and parmasean* Broil until the cheese is melted, and then enjoy!

Answer 8

We use turkey or chicken broth and a bit of red wine. It is always a real stock though made from the carcass. None of the canned stuff please.
Sauteed spanish onions. Transfer it to individual ramekins and top each with a slice of french bread and shredded swiss or gruyere. These are placed under the broiler till the cheese starts to melt and lightly brown. I would place them all on a baking sheet by the way because it is easier to deal with.

Answer 9

Take any of the above recipes, add some bourbon and then simmer for about an hour. This gives it some real body.

When you put the bread and cheese in the soup bowl. Put then under the broiler to melt the cheese a bit.

Answer 10

I like this one a lot.
OLD FASHIONED ONION SOUP

2 Tbsp. margarine or butter
3 large Spanish onions, peeled, sliced
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) beef broth
3 cups cold water
1 bay leaf
6 slices French bread, toasted
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Swiss Cheese
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese



MELT margarine in large skillet on medium heat. Add onions; cook about 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add broth, water and bay leaf; stir. Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
PREHEAT broiler. Ladle hot soup evenly into 6 ovenproof bowls; top each bowl of soup with a toast slice. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses.
BROIL 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown . ENJOY!

Answer 11

Easy answer;
1 onion sliced and sauteed until translucent (if you are in a hurry)
2 cans of Beef broth
1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup butter

Melt butter in saucepan, add broth, Worcestershire and onions bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer until ready to eat.

*if not in a hurry you can dump onions raw in to the broth and boil*

Day old crusty french bread or sourdough makes the best topper, cut into round hunks and toast at a low temp (like 250) until hard.

To serve: pour soup in a bowl that can go in oven under the broiler, float your crusty bread and top with slices of mozzarella, put under broiler until cheese is bubbling.

(to cheat you can do that in the microwave)

You can also add more or less onion to taste
This really is good, easy and FAST

Good Luck