TravelTalkOnline Forums People Talk Recipes french onion soup

Hey, looking for a recipe for french onion soup.. Not sure, is this something I can use the boat motor on?? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thinks.gif" alt="" />

Carol, there is no way I would use the boat motor on Onion Soup. I'll dig up my recipe and post it for you.

Great! Looking forward to seeing it!

Carol, thought I had it on the computer but it is on my old hard drive that died. I'll dig the hard copy up tomorrow and post it for you.

Carole, here's the recipe

French Onion Soup

5 cups sliced red onions
3 TBS Butter
1 TBS Oil
2 qts Beef Stock
1/2 cup white wine
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 TBS Cognac (optional)

Cook onions slowly in the butter/oil over low heat covered for 15 minutes.
Remove cover, increase heat to moderate and cook 40 minutes stirring frequently until onions are brown.
Add 2 quarts of boiling beef stock or beef bouillon to which the wine has been added. Add salt and pepper to taste, partially cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes.

Just before serving add the Cognac if using.

To serve place slice of French bread (that has been toasted in 325 deg oven for 30 mins)in bottom of each bowl, brush with melted butter, sprinkle lightly with garlic salt or rub with garlic clove, sprinkle with grated Parmesean, fill with soup, sprinkle with more cheese, put under broiler until cheese melts. Enjoy!

The woman I got this recipe from uses Gruyere cheese I believe though it was so long ago that I could be mistaken. I use more than the five cups of onions because Paul loved a lot of onions in his onion soup. The best I ever made was with some homemade beef broth. But I don't have that around very often. I do use Swanson's Fat Free low sodium broth and I think it is so much better than others. I have used half chicken and half beef broth at times depending upon my mood or which I have the most of.

Oh almost forgot...the original recipe called for sprinkling a couple of tablespoons of flour on onions after cooking them and cooking the flour for a few minutes and then add the broth to thicken the soup. Since I do not care for it that way I had omitted it from the recipe. So if you like a thicker broth than do the flour thing.

Thanks much!!! Not sure if I will have time to do this today or not, but definitely want to try to make some soup soon!

Hey Carol:

Note that Annie's recipe calls for grated Parmesean or Gruyere.

Do not substitute Velveeta for those ! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Yeah, yeah, yeah!! Mr. Still-owes-me-a-bottle-of-Dom!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I'll have top dig up my recipe... don't have it on this laptop...
I only make it from about Nov. to May/June, even July in recent years... as it uses the really sweet onoins, from Chile (Oso Sweets), Peruvian Sweet Onions or the Texas 1015Y Onions (developed at Texas A&M in the 1980's)...
or Washington State's Walla Walla's, if u can ever get them on here the east coast! very rare find for us...
They have 15-25% sugar content, compared to about only about <10% in a Vidallia Onion...
Vidallia's as a sweet onion are way overated IMHO... they are closer to a spanish onion... but that's just my own "sweet onion lovers" opinion...
My favorites are the Texas 1015Y's and the Chillean Oso Sweets...

Fro the cheese topping, we use Gueyere, swiss, provilone, gouda or jarlsburg cheese... whatever we have on hand at the time...
Greyeure & Jarlsburg being my personal favorites...

Brian--I noted that Annie used red onions. Thoughts on that??? I think otherwise, I'd have to go with Vidalias around here..

Red onions have a unique flavor all their own... and make for a nice color...
I like them a lot, but have never made FOS with them myself...
I also like the big white onions...
But much different flavor (stronger onion flavor, but not as acidy as spanish onions) than the sweet vartieties...

OK, someone else I know makes FOS and uses vidalia onions and puts worchester sauce in it, to make it darker. I like the taste of worchester, so I may try their recipe..

Carole, frankly I think the kind of onions you use are according to your preference. I like it with the red onions so I use them. Just make sure you do NOT rush the recipe. The secret to the deep flavor and color is the carmelizing of the onions. That does take a little time. Some people sprinkle a little sugar on the onions during the carmelizing process.

Carole, I use worcestershire in a lot of recipes but have never used it in the onion soup one. As long as you carmelize the onions you will get the darker color. But to get that color you really have to take your time with the carmelization process. I don't always have the patience! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Thanks!! Not sure whether we will make this tonight or not, but will let you know when we do..

The worsteshire sounds wonderful in it. Please forgive my misspelling on that!

yepr... my recipe uses w'shire sauce too, maybe A-1 depending on my mood... I usually use chicken stock rather than beef stock though...
I don't use worchester to darken the soup (I could care what color it is, as long as it tastes good), but for the flavor...
I carmelize about 1/2 the onions... and just til opaque for the other half of the onions...
I like some "substance" to some of the onions, rather than have them all mushy...

Annie, I make mine similar but I use port wine instead of the white wine and vidalia onions instead of red. But, the end result is the same....DELICIOUS!


<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> Contessa

Fixed this tonight, used half red onions and half white onions.. Used parmesan and gouda cheese on top. Wonderful!!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

nice compromise. did u use the motor boat? if so, how'd u like it?

Nope, no boat motor. Cheese wasn't right on top, but didn't have any gruyere. Will plan better next time! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

FOS is not a soup you'd use a motor boat on... u want the onions cut large...

sorry for the confusion. i combined two thoughts into one and rereading my post and i should have worded it better. wasn't referring to using it for this recipe. i meant to ask carol if she used it yet (for other recipes). my mistake, sorry <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

No, not yet. I am thinking about some broccoli soup, got to get some ingredients for that..

Carole, the boat motor is great for a lot of soups. I use mine for Plantains and Sweet Potato Soup, Leek and Potato Soup and some Butternut Squash soups. I'm a soup freak! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Huhm, plaintains and sweet potato soup?????? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thinks.gif" alt="" /> Recipe!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/impatient.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Carol, will do.

Thinking about making french onion soup to freeze. Any more thoughts on the subject? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

It freezes very well. Always keep a couple of containers in the freezer.
I have a killer recipe, but will have to type it up as it is a scanned recipe that was hand written years ago.

Give me a couple of days.....Off to Tintamarre tomorrow.

Great! Looking forward to seeing it! (..and wish I was going to Tintamarre tomorrow. Enjoy!!!)

French Onion Soup
2 Lbs. onions, sliced. (Vadalia, Walla Walla, Spanish, or other sweet large onion)
6 Tbs. Butter
2 Tbs. corn oil
½ tsp. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard powder
3 Tbs. flour
2 qts. Beef broth (8 cups) --I use boullion cubes and water to make the 8 cups
1 ½ cups dry white wine.
Cook onions with butter and oil for 30 minutes. Stir often so as not to burn.
Add sugar and mustard and cook 30 minutes longer.
Blend in flour. Stir in broth and wine and cook 30 minutes longer.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Serve in crocks topped with toasted Italian bread and slices or shredded mozzarella cheese.
Bake I hot until cheese is bubbly and browned.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
(If you have a large enough pot, double or triple the recipe and freeze in Qt. containers for a quick yummy meal.)

Thanks. I hope to be checking out one of these recipes soon!

Carol, my FOS recipes are similar... but I also add one or three (depending on size) Oxtails to the broth...
de-bone and flake after cooking long and slow... then I add the meat to the soup...
Then I top with day old toasted baguette, and a mix of Parmesan & Mozzarella in the broiler...
I like to use Chilean or Peruvian onions when in season... (Feb.-April)...
MUCH sweeter than any Vidalia...
Walla-Walla's (from Washington State) and Texas 1015's are really sweet too...
Walla-Walla's are really hard to find here in the NE though...
Chilean/Peruvian/Walla-Wallas/Texas 1015's are like 15-20%% sugar... Vidallia's are like 5% or 10%...
For sweet go with above...
for stronger onion taste (more on the savory side), go with Vidalia's or (even more oniony/savory taste) go with regular Spanish Onions...
and I always add (cheap, no need for Harvey's!!!) Cream Sherry to my onion soup!
I like my FOS sweet as opposed to savory...
for a savory FOS, I'd use a medium dry Sherry...
Dry Sherry is just way over the top, overpoweringly (?), is that even a word?, savory for FOS...

Your recipe has to be good since it is almost the same as the one we have used for years. French Onion soup has always been a Christmas Eve favorite, recipe by our Memere. She always said the flavor is in the carmelization of the onions and adding one bay leaf and one sage leaf. Just before transferring to the oven bowls, she adds Cognac and about 1/2 small onion finely grated.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> on adding the bay leaves! Okay, now I am hungry <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />