Jacques Pepin's Onion Soup Gratinee

Chef Kate's Note:

This is an amazingly easy way to make classic French Onion Soup. The quality of your stock will determine the quality of the soup. This makes four lovely individual crocks of cheese topped soup, assuming your crocks will hold at least two cups.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 onions , sliced
• 7 cups unsalted chicken stock , preferably homemade
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 16 slices baguette
• 10 ounces gruyere , grated on the large hole side of a box grater (or Comte or Emmenthaler)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and saute the onions over medium high heat for about eight minutes or until they are lightly browned.
2. Add stock, salt and pepper (if your stock is salted, do not add additional salt) and boil gently for about 15 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
4. Toast the baguette slices in the oven.
5. Place one or two slices of baguette in the bottom of each of four ovenproof crocks.
6. Add 1/4 cup of grated cheese to each crock and place the crocks on a cookie sheet.
7. Ladle the onion and stock mixture into the crocks.
8. Top with the remaining grated cheese, pressing some of the cheese against the lip of each crock.
9. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until cheese is beautifully browned.
10. In the last few moments, place the remaining baguette slices in the oven to warm.
11. Serve the soup immediately with the toasted slices of baguette.

Reviews

[Dubai Desert Chef]

This is an excellent recipe! I find myself coming back to it again and again. It is definitely best with home-made stock.

[French Tart]

Chef Kate is right - the quality of stock does make a difference - I used some home-made chicken stock and this soup was excellent. I normally make my soup with wine - but this was a nice change from my usual recipe!

[Lainey6605]

This is delicious soup - great flavor and very easy to make. I did use homemade chicken stock and it worked wonderfully! Made for ZWT3 2007.