French Onion Soup Recipe

When you were growing up, did you have certain family traditions? Well, homemade French onion soup and hot chocolate were always waiting for us when we returned from picking out and cutting down our Christmas tree. If my mother can be described in one or two words, they would be "amazing cook." Seriously, don't even try and say your mom is better, because it's impossible. Because I've long since moved away from home, I am constantly trying to recreate traditions from my past. Enter this amazing (and easy) French onion soup recipe...

If you, like me, love all warm meals on a frigid winter day, then look no further than this recipe.

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Recipe makes 4 to 6 servings

Ready in 1 hour 10 minutes with 15 minutes of prep time

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup red wine
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation

I should tell you that I'm kind of a French onion soup connoisseur. I'm very particular about the taste and will very openly diss a restaurant's soup if it isn't exactly what I'm looking for, which happens about 99% of the time. I have yet to find a French onion soup in a restaurant that lives up to my mom's. From the second I started cutting up the onions, I knew this recipe was going to taste the way it did when my mom would make it. 

After cutting up the onions, melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and caramelized, which could take around 25 minutes.

Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for: add the wine to the onion and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, which should take around 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs from the mixture. Dust the onions with flour and stir. Lower the heat to medium-low to avoid burning the flour, and cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Add the beef brother, and cook the soup for 10 minutes to heat up the broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Sorry I'm blurry - I was born this way.

In my opinion, the Gruyere-covered baguette is an absolutely necessary touch for any French onion soup recipe. To prepare, preheat your broiler. Arrange the baguettes on a baking sheet in a single layer (as seen above). Sprinkle with Gruyere and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Ladle the soup into bowls and add as many Gruyere baguettes to the mix as you'd like!

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