French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 6-7 Onions
• 1 stick Butter
• 0.5 cup Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 Baguette Loaf
• 1 can Chicken Broth
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 0.25 cup Brown sugar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Soy Sauce
• 64 oz Beef Broth
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• Cheese (Gruyère or Swiss)

Method

Slice 6-7 onions into half-moons roughly 5 mm thick. The size matters — thin enough to collapse, thick enough to hold their shape through hours of cooking. Heat 50 g of butter and 120 ml of olive oil in a dutch-oven over medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt, cover, and let them sweat for 90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The onions will release their own moisture and soften without colour. This is caramelisation-stage one: you're driving off water so the actual caramelisation-technique can begin.

Uncover the pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Now stir more frequently — every 3-4 minutes — scraping the base to prevent sticking. The onions will darken gradually over the next 45-60 minutes. Stop when they're a deep mahogany, almost chestnut brown. They should smell sweet and slightly nutty, not burnt. This is the crux of the dish; rushing it or cooking at too high a temperature gives bitter, scorched edges instead of the savoury depth you need.

Deglaze with the chicken broth in three or four additions, stirring after each pour and waiting until the liquid has nearly evaporated and a thin fond builds on the pot base. This repeated deglazing is how you build layers of flavour — each addition dissolves and concentrates the browned proteins left behind. After the chicken broth is spent, add the finely minced garlic, then the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar (about 1 tablespoon), Worcestershire sauce (1 teaspoon), and soy sauce (1 teaspoon). Wait for the pot to dry between each ingredient; the slight caramelisation of the liquids prevents them from thinning the soup unnecessarily.

Pour in the 950 ml of beef broth and add 2-3 bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes to marry the flavours. Taste and adjust the salt and acid balance — the soup should taste savoury and slightly sweet, with a whisper of vinegar cutting through the richness.

Toast 12-15 mm slices of baguette at 200°C for 8 minutes until firm but not hard. Lay them on the surface of individual bowls of soup (or in the pot itself), top generously with grated Gruyère, and place under a hot broiler for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and lightly coloured. Serve immediately.