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Julia Child inspired French onion soup with toasted baguette and bubbling Gruyere

Julia Child-Inspired French Onion Soup

Deeply caramelized onions in a rich wine and beef broth, topped with toasted baguette, bubbling Gruyère, and Parmesan. This is an inspired home recipe, not an official Julia Child recipe.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Calories: 465
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Onion Soup
  • 3 pounds yellow onions peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups low-sodium beef stock
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry or cognac optional
Baguette and Cheese Topping
  • 12 slices baguette about 1/2 inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing
  • 8 ounces Gruyère cheese freshly grated
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven heavy-bottomed
  • Wooden spoon
  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • 6 Oven-safe soup crocks optional

Method
 

  1. Melt butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt, toss well, cover, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until softened.
  2. Remove the lid, add sugar, and increase heat to medium. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring more often as the onions darken, until evenly deep golden brown. Add a splash of water if the fond begins to scorch.
    Yellow onions caramelized to a deep golden brown in a Dutch oven
  3. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes.
  4. Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly reduced.
  5. Add beef stock, thyme, bay leaf, pepper, and Worcestershire. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove herbs, stir in optional sherry, and adjust salt.
  6. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush baguette slices with the remaining olive oil and toast for 6 to 8 minutes per side until dry and golden.
  7. Place oven-safe crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill with hot soup, top each with two baguette slices, then cover with Gruyère and Parmesan.
    French onion soup served in oven safe crocks with toasted baguette and melted Gruyere
  8. Broil about 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 4 minutes, watching constantly, until the cheese bubbles and browns. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Caramelize the onions over moderate heat; deep brown fond is good, but black spots taste bitter.
  • For an alcohol-free soup, replace wine with stock and add 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar after simmering.
  • If you do not own oven-safe crocks, broil the cheese-topped baguette separately and float it on each bowl.
  • The soup base can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 3 months.