{"id":132632,"title":"French Onion Soup Gratin\u00e9e","modified":"2026-06-13T11:18:03+02:00","plain":"What is French onion soup gratin\u00e9e?\n\n\n\nAt its simplest, French onion soup gratin\u00e9e is caramelized onions simmered in a rich stock, then baked until bubbling under slices of bread and Gruy\u00e8re. More elaborate versions call for consomm\u00e9\u2014a fully clarified, crystal-clear stock. It takes a fair bit of work and, honestly, unless you\u2019re serving the soup for a special occasion, it\u2019s not really necessary. Better to focus your energy on what matters most: flavor.\n\n\n\nFor even more decadence, pour my homemade cancoillotte recipe over the top\n\n\n\nAnd hey, time is money: save time on the stock, and you\u2019ll have more to spend on a mountain of Gruy\u00e8re for the occasion. Hehe.\n\n\n\nThe origins of French onion soup\n\n\n\nAs with many classic French recipes, there are plenty of legends. That said, my favorite is the tale of a French monarch in his hunting lodge realizing he only had onions, butter, and champagne on hand, then using them to invent onion soup. I don\u2019t think an anecdote can get much more French than that. The fact that the soup later became popular among \u201cthe common folk\u201d for its ability to mask the smell of alcohol after a drinking binge is the icing on the cake.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tFrench Onion Soup au Gratin\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tStockbeef bones, chicken carcass, or turkey carcass1 onion3 cloves garlic, peeled1 sprig of thymeCaramelized Onions800 g onions, thinly sliced2 tablespoons butter2 teaspoons sugarSoup1 baguette sliced and lightly toasted1 package grated Gruy\u00e8re\t\n\t\n\t\tStockIn a large pot, cover the bones or carcass with water and boil for 10 minutes.Drain off the water, along with any impurities floating in it, then refill the pot with cold water.Simmer with the vegetables for 2-3 hours.Strain and set aside.Caramelized OnionsIn a large pot, ideally heavy-bottomed, caramelize the onions with the butter and sugar over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly deep golden brown.Optional: deglaze with white wine.SoupPour about 2 L of the stock into the pot with the onions and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.Transfer the soup to ovenproof bowls.Arrange the toasted bread on top.Sprinkle generously with grated Gruy\u00e8re.Bake in a 230-degree oven until the cheese is melted and golden.\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tDivers\t\n\n\n\n\n\nTips for making great French onion soup\n\n\n\n\nUse a robust stock: this may be subjective, but for this soup I prefer a very meaty stock\u2014beef stock, in other words. It pairs beautifully with the flavor of Gruy\u00e8re.\n\n\n\nDon\u2019t skimp on caramelizing the onions: the more caramelized, the better. If it takes more than 30 minutes to get that deep, beautiful color, so be it. Believe me, it\u2019s worth it. \n\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019d like to step away from French cooking while still enjoying a delicious broth, have you seen my chicken paella recipe?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}