French Onion Soup

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (79)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(79)

Cook Time:
1 hr 45 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
8 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 45 min
Total:: 2 hr 0 min

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Ingredients

10 sweet onions (like Vidalias) or a combination of sweet and red onions
3 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley
1 loaf country style bread
Ground black pepper
Splash Cognac, optional
1 cup grated Fontina or Gruyere cheese

Directions

Trim the ends off each onion then slice from end to end. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.

Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.

Cut country bread in rounds large enough to fit mouth of oven safe soup crocks. Place the slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler for 1 minute.

Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place bread round, toasted side down, on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe French Onion Soup
Richard Folsom, CA 11-15-2009
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Good Soup....but too sweet!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I'm a huge sweet onion freak and my wife loves french onion soup so I thought this would be a perfect dish for both our... tastes. Unfortunately the cider combined with the natural sweetness of the sweet onions pushed the sweetness meter to far. I'll likely try the recipe again, but substitute regular onions for the sweet onions (or at least by half) and sub in additional beef consomme instead of the apple cider...stay tuned!Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
john anytown, AZ 03-14-2009
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great soup
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

It does not say apple cider vinegar. It calls for apple cider!
recipe French Onion Soup
Joan Lemon Grove, CA 02-22-2009
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Too much vinegar!!
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

10 oz of apple cider vinegar is way too much! Is 10 oz a typo? I feel like it should be 1 oz!
recipe French Onion Soup
Anonymous 07-24-2007
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Wonderful
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Soup turned out great!
recipe French Onion Soup
Anonymous 05-23-2007
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Not your average
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is not your average french onion soup and takes some different ingredients but is well worth it! Alton knows what he is... doing. I don't bother wiht the electric griddle though...Read more
recipe French Onion Soup
David Woodinville, WA 05-11-2007
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Onion Soup with class
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe makes an outstanding French Onion soup with intense sweet and strong onion flavors simultaneously complementing... the broth. An outstanding recipe!Read more