French Onion Soup

Have you ever had french onion soup out at a restaurant and you loved it so much but never thought you could ever make it as good at home? Well, this recipe definitely will prove you wrong. I am confident when I say, that this recipe is even better than most restaurant french onion soups. It is Julia Child's recipe, who is the master of french cooking. I know it usually it served with giant croutons and melted cheese, but trust me it isn't a necessity. Can you guess what the secret ingredient is? That's right. Cognac. It really transforms this soup from great to amazing. If you have it, you must use it here. If you don't, the soup will still be great but you'll be missing out!! I served this soup for my mom's birthday dinner and in all the hectic preparation, I forgot to put in the 3 tablespoons of cognac right before serving (gasp!!) So, I brought the cognac to the table and everyone passed it around, dropping a teaspoon in each of their bowls of soup. It was actually fun! I love home style meals where you serve yourself sauce, pass around sides, and main dishes are served table side, its much more intimate. Anyways, back to the recipe. Make this. ASAP!

French Onion Soup

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups beef stock

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup water, optional

1/2 cup dry white wine, or dry white vermouth

3 tablespoons cognac, right before serving

1 Cook the onions with oil and butter, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

2 Uncover, stir in the sugar and salt and cook for about 35 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions will turn a deep deep golden brown.

3 While the onions are cooking, in a separate saucepan, add the beef and chicken stock and bring to a boil. I found that the soup was a bit too salty for my taste, so I added a cup of water but it depends on your taste. If you used low sodium stock than I don't think you need the water.

4 While the stock is boiling, sprinkle the flour onto the onions and stir until absorbed.

5 Add in the boiling stock, wine and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Or, bring it to the table for some fun!