There is nothing like a classic French Onion Soup. It has to be my favorite soup of all time. If you’re a cheese lover like I am, you will love it, too.

I told you there would be more recipes when the war is over. And ya'll, I truly believe the end of this war is coming soon.

Also, I'm in the process of moving all my recipes over from my old blog, so as I do it, I'll be testing the recipes again and cleaning them up to make them even better.

Classic French Onion Soup

Classic French Onion Soup is a delicious beef broth flavored with caramelized onions, and layered with toasted crusty bread and melted Swiss cheese.

As far as soups go, there is nothing better in the whole world. It’s the chocolate chip cookie of soups.

Classic French Onion Soup is to French cuisine what lasagne is to Italian food. Your family and friends will love this soup. It makes the perfect appetizer. Or it can be a meal in and of itself.

Mai oui, leave it to the French, the Culinary Masters of the Universe.

French onion soup is so easy to make. Not only is it easy, but it’s cheap. It’s just onions, homemade broth, leftover bread (best to use the stale bread or ends) and cheese.

And this soup is so nutritious. Bone broth is rich in minerals, amino acids and gelatin which is fabulous for your skin, your digestive tract, and immunity. Cheese is rich in vitamin A and vitamin K2.

Classic French Onion Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

Onions, medium, yellow or white, organic (4)
Garlic clove (1)
Butter, grass-fed, organic, unsalted (1/3 cup)
Gruyère cheese or Swiss cheese, ideally grass-fed (1 pound or 16 oz)
Leftover sourdough bread or baguette (6 slices)
White wine, dry (3/4 cup)
Beef or chicken stock, organic (2 quarts)
Port wine, Brandy or Cognac (1/2 cup)
Thyme, fresh or dried (a few sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed – or 1-2 teaspoons dried)
Bay leaf (1)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Equipment

Enameled cast iron Dutch oven or stainless steel stockpot (For the love of God, not use anything with Teflon)
Ovenproof French onion soup bowls or ramekins (6)
Cheese grater or food processor

Recipe Notes

This recipe is modified from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Balthazar Cookbook. I have tried many of the recipes and everything in this cookbook comes out fantastic. I’ve been using these recipes in my kitchen since 1997.

I recommend using homemade beef stock or chicken stock, which you should make with organic bones and filtered, fluoride-free water.

The stock you buy at the store is not as nutritious, but if you do need to rely on store-bought bone broth, always buy the organic variety.

Non-organic bone broth is full of fluoride, because the animals eat feed that is sprayed with fluoride-based pesticides, and the fluoride is stored and concentrated in the bones of the animals.

If you want to leave out the wine you can, just substitute more stock. However, it will not be as flavorful.

If you don't have Port wine or Brandy, you can use red wine and add a little sugar. I have done this in a pinch and it works!

Pro-tip on the cheese: Freeze it ahead of time and it will crumble very easily – no need to grate it.

Directions

1. With a chef’s knife, halve the onions, remove and discard the peels, and then slice the onions 1/4 inch thick. Set aside.
2. Peel and crush one clove of garlic. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter on medium heat in the Dutch oven or stockpot.
4. Add the onion slices and crushed garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
5. Grate the cheese in the food processor or by hand.
6. Toast the bread slices in the toaster or in the oven under the broiler.
7. Increase the heat to high and add the white wine.
8. Bring to a boil and reduce the wine by half, about 3-5 minutes.
9. Turn down the heat to medium-low, add the broth and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
10. Stir in the Port, bay leaf, thyme. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
11. Ladle the soup into 6 ovenproof French onion soup bowls or ramekins.
12. Set the 6 slices of bread on top of each bowl of soup.
13. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of grated cheese onto each slice of bread.
14. Put the bowls on cookie sheets and set under the oven broiler for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese gets slightly brown and bubbly.
15. Let the soup bowls cool slightly before serving.