French Onion Soup

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I totally enjoyed this soup. It was as good as any restaurant French Onion soup I've ordered! I recommend using a little less onion. The bowls toward the end of the batch had almost too many onions. Either way - this is a keeper!

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French onion soup is made with gruyere or comte cheese on the crouton. This is Italian onion soup.

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I have been a fan of french onion soup for years since I first tasted it as a little girl in the St. Louis area at Famous Barr. I have made various recipes thru the years but this one is fabulous. I think the combination of the spirits work really well in this version. I had a couple of tablespoons of brandy and did a splash of vermouth and the white wine. It gave the soup alot of depth that I was looking for. I used homemade beef broth in the soup.
I do think a grated gruyere or a combination of swiss and parmesan works well of top of the soup. I found real french onion soup bowls on ebay and float the bread and cheese mixture on top of the soup and cook the bowls at 450 to 500 degrees til bubbly and brown. Yummmmmmmmm.

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I used chicken stock and not as much alcohol as the recipe called for. The turned out amazing and was a big hit!!!!

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This is a recipe I've been using since senior year of college when I discovered that ladies love a man who cooks. This soup is one of my stand-by's! For awhile I also could not find veal stock and used only beef, but I recently found veal stock made by "Kitchen Basics". This was in a rather normal supermarket so I suspect its widely available across the country. Also, those who are consideringn using less liquor in the recipe, DO NOT SKIMP!!! This is the source of everything beautiful in this soup. Sometimes I add a .5tbl of flour when melting the butter to make a dark roux, this helps thicken and deepen the flavor in the soup. Also, try to mix the different booze. I use a random blend of sherry, madeira, port, cognac, armangac, white wine, or any random oxidized wine like wine from Jura. Also a few dashes of bitters adds a nice note. Worcester and sherry vinegar are always used to season at the end.

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This soup was so delicious. My wife and I just love it. I try to make it as often as I can, especially when we have guests over. The Brandy and Sherry really add so much to the broth. Thanks for this recipe Ina!

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I've made several different onion soups, and this is in the top 3. The sherry, brandy, and wine make the broth something very special. I used a mix of leeks, sweet onions, red onions, shallots and garlic, with beef broth and chicken broth. I think you could use any kind of onions, and substitute chicken or more beef broth (I couldn't find veal stock either, but you'll miss the rich flavor that distinguishes this recipe from others if you skip the alcoholic additions. I also had some trouble getting the onions to carmelize. I used an enamel coated cast iron dutch oven, and there was a lot of carmelization at the bottom of the pot , but the onions never really turned brown. When I deglazed, though, I got all that lovely brown from the bottom of the pot, which got the same taste result. Next time, I'll add some fresh thyme branches. I loved this soup and will make it again and again.

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i just finished eating this soup i just made. it was amazing .. and i have had my share of french onion soups and by far the best or one of the best ive had.. and it makes me soo happy I MADE I!! i changed it a little bt i used madiera wine instead of the sherry wine and added a lit bit more then it requires... and i used all beef stock ..i couldnt find veal... but still very good.. this is a must make soup!

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Unbelievable!!!! I used chicken broth instead of sherry and red wine instead of brandy. I don't know where to find veal broth, so I used beef stock and beef broth. I also added one garlic clove to the sauteeing onions. I added stale Itallian bread and a combo of parm and mozz cheeses in the broiler till melted. Even with the substitutions, it was some of the best soup i've ever made. Will be a new staple in our house, Thanks Ida!!

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I made this soup for a very large crowd and had to double the recipie, so I made it the day before and heated it up the next day.
Wow! you would have thought I gave each guest a million dollars! I even recieved two marriage proposals!
The soup was rich and satisfying with so many flavors!. I was a little hesitant with the amount of alcohol required but all are necessary for the deep flavor.
The only problem I came across by doubling the recipie is that I tried to brown all 5 lbs of onion in one big pot. Although they cooked down to be nice and creamy, they never did brown. In my opinion, I don't feel it detracted from the soup. Next time I double the recipie, I will brown the onions in 2 batches, even though this will increase the prep time. This was very easy to make and from now on, I will ONLY make this recipie!