How Chefs Make French Onion Soup (It's Not About the Onions)

beef broth

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: chicken broth

Vegetable broth is lower in calories and suitable for vegetarians.

gruyère cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: cheddar cheese

Part-skim mozzarella has fewer calories, while cheddar is often less expensive.

Preheat oven to 180° and roast butcher's bones for about 35 minutes until blonde.

Season the bones and set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, add beef trim and render fat until dark.

Add roughly chopped carrots and celery to the pot for sweetness.

Deglaze the pot with white wine and reduce it down.

Remove the roasted bones and add them to the pot with rendered fat.

Add beef stock and chicken stock, then bring to a simmer for about an hour and a half.

In a separate pan, melt beef fat and add sliced Spanish and Roskoff onions.

Salt the onions and cover to extract moisture, cooking for about 25 minutes.

Stir the onions occasionally to prevent burning, cooking until caramelized for about an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens