Caramelised French Onion Soup
Caramelised French Onion Soup That Tastes Just Like Paris
Falling in Love in Paris
Paris really is the city of love because this is where I fell head over heels for French Onion Soup. Yes, it’s kind of tourist trappy, and every vendor claims to be the best but the warm, savoury, jammy soup is excatly what I needed after walking the city all day. Paris has this way of making even the simplest food feel romantic. Then came the caramlised onion butter… it combined my love of butter and onions, honestly what can be better than that! This was when I knew i had to bring these flavours home with me, and thought why not make it a soup.
Bringing it Home:
In Paris, you’ll see stalls and markets selling all kinds of onions, the vareity is amazing. However back home in Australia our onion selections is a bit more humble, but that does not mean we miss out on flavour. Even the basic brown onions turn into something beautiful when you give it time and patience.
The Texture:
What make french onion soup so special is how the onions transform. You cook them low and slow until they break down into this jammy, sweet, golden magic. It takes a while, but its so worth it. If you’ve never cooked onions low and slow before, you’re in for a treat, the texture is magic.
My love for caramlised onions
Caramlised onions is one of my go-to ingredients. So it’s really no surprise that I fell in love with french onion soup. There’s something really special about when a recipe becomes more than just food, when it turns into a little memory you can relive, spoonful by spoonful. So naturally, I started trying to recreate it back home, and this soup is kind of where that journey landed.
Caramelised French Onion Soup
Makes: 4 Serves
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1.5kg brown onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 cup dry white wine
1.5L vegetable stock (I sometimes make it with chicken stock too)
Method:
1. Pour the olive oil into a large pot and warm it over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir to coat, then drop the heat to low.
2. Cook the onions slowly for 40 minutes, stirring every so often, until they become silky and soft.
3. Turn the heat back to medium and continue cooking for another 15–20 minutes, stirring often until deep golden and caramelised.
4. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, thyme, and garlic. Cook for a minute until fragrant.
5. Dust the flour over the onions and stir to coat evenly. Let it cook off for about 2 minutes.
6. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble away for another 2 minutes, until the liquid reduces.
7. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away for 30 minutes to deepen the flavour.
Serve with my crispy herb & parmesan smashed potatoes