French Onion Soup

From the New York Times pamphlet "Soups".

French Onion Soup - 1/31/2026

Prep: 10 Mins. Cook: 1 Hr. 20 Mins. Total Time 1 Hr. 30 Mins. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp. Butter	3 to 4 Large Yellow Onions - 3 lbs.
tsp. salt	2 qt. beef stock
1 cup dry white wine	1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tbsp all purpose flour	tsp. ground black pepper
8 -12 inches slices French Bread	1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

1. Peel the onions, cut in half, and then into inch slices

2. Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven. Add onions and tsp. of salt, cover and let onions soften for about 5 mins.

3. After onions soften, remover cover, over medium heat, stir occasionally, lowering heat if onions begin to stick allow onion to caramelize until golden brown. N.B. This is a long process. Do not rush it, it make take up 60 minutes!

4. As onions are caramelizing, warm the beef broth over low heat.

5. Once onions are fully caramelized add the wine and sherry, bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in flour and allow to thicken for a minute or two.

6. Slowly add warmed broth, stirring constantly. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture boil, uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste to adjust salt and pepper.

You can Stop Here if you are prepping ahead of the meal. Allowing the soup to cool before refrigerating.

Serving:

Heat Broiler, arrange heat individual ovenproof casserole dishes on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casserole dishes. Cover with bread slices. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Broil for a minute or two, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately.

Notes: You can use almost any cheese, we used slices of mozzarella. Any soft with cheese works well. The soup can be frozen at Step 6 for up two months, thaw, reheat, and prepare as directed under Serving.