A fresh look at French Onion Soup

Silly me.

We’re in the middle of a 95+ degree heat wave and I have a craving for French Onion Soup! But if I have a taste for something rarely ever does the weather stop me! And after pulling some of our gorgeous onions, who could resist making some Onion Soup.

Usually Onion Soup is made with Yellow Onions but I don’t care for Yellow Onions at all. But I dearly love green onions so I used our homegrown Green Onion Bulbs, which are nothing more then mature Green Onions. I also added some additional herbs, Rosemary, Marjoram and Tarragon, again fresh from my garden. Although most Onion Soup recipes call for all Chicken Stock, my Mom always used Beef Stock. Well, ever since I discovered how fabulous Veal Stock is, I don’t make Beef Stock any more but Beef Stock is perfectly acceptable to use in this recipe. Veal Stock is a deliciously, smooth, rich stock and although it’s a 2-day process to make…it is so worth it. I use the Veal Stock recipe from the cookbook, The French Laundry.

Honestly this was the best Onion Soup I’ve ever tasted!


French Onion Soup
Recipe developed by BigBlackDog

7 Green Onion Bulbs
3 TBL Olive Oil
1/2 cup dry red wine (I used Merlot)
6 c Chicken Stock
2 c Veal Stock **See Note if you’re using Beef Stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bouquet garni (fresh thyme, bay leaf, and celery stalk tied together)
1/4 tsp fresh Rosemary
1/2 tsp fresh Marjoram
1/2 tsp fresh Tarragon
2 small or 1 medium slice of bread per bowl of soup
1-2 tsp soft butter per slice of bread
1-2 minced garlic cloves
1-3 cups grated white cheese

**NOTE: When using Beef Stock, use 6 cups of Beef Stock and 2 cups of Chicken Stock.

Clean and thinly slice the onions.

On medium low, heat a large soup pot. Add the oil. Add the onions and saute until golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add beef and chicken stock, salt, pepper, and bouquet garni, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Bouquet Garni is very easy to make and it’s nice to be able to remove all the herbs after the flavor is infused.  Just cut a wide piece of celery into about 5″ lengths.  Place the Bay, Thyme, Marjoram, Tarragon and Rosemary in the groove of the celery.  Then top with another piece of celery and tie it with a string. 

Mince or crush the garlic and mix with the soft butter. Spread both sides of each slice of bread with the garlic butter. In a frying pan, grill the bread on both sides and set aside. I cut each slice of bread in two before layering it in the bowl of soup. We like a little bit of bread and cheese per spoonful of soup.

Preheat the broiler.

Pour the soup into oven-proof bowls. Top each bowl with grilled bread and sprinkle with cheese. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and pop under the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy!

Tagged as: Beef Stock, Cheese, Chicken Stock, Onion, Veal Stock