Julia Child's Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinee

French onion soup is one of my all-time-favorites. It consists of caramelized onions, bread and cheese – all of which I adore. I’ve wanted to make it at home for forever but I didn’t have the single-serving ceramic bowls until very recently.

Aren’t they cute?

I should’ve been studying for my final exams today but we all know preparedness is overrated, right? I’d rather be making soup. Anyway, I used Julia Child’s recipe, of course, and tried not to deviate too much from it; except I used chicken broth instead of beef and Fortina instead of Gruyere, because it’s what I had in the house. A surprisingly little amount of work goes into a dish that is so magically delicious.

I started by cooking white onions in olive oil and butter for about 35 minutes.

^Before

^After

Then I sprinkled in some flour and stirred for a few minutes. Then I added boiling chicken broth and dry white wine, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

In the meantime I made croutons. When the soup was done simmering, I adjusted the seasonings, added a bit of cognac and transferred the soup into individual ceramic bowls. I topped each one with croutons and shredded cheese.

Then in the oven they went for about 20 minutes, until the cheese became all melty and beautiful. After the oven, I let the soup sit for a few minutes to cool and then I died and went to heaven ; )

Not bad for a first time…yum.

If you’d like the full recipe, I’d be happy to email it to you.

P.S: It’s my birthday today!