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French Onion Soup

A classic appetizer soup.
Servings 9 cups
Prep Time

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions thinly sliced (about 7 cups)
  • 1/4 cup Butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 7 cups beef broth recipe below
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • French bread cut into 1-inch slices
  • grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Beef Broth

  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 medium onions quartered
  • 2 ribs celery with leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 carrot sliced
  • 2 pounds center cut beef shank bones
  • 2 pounds beef marrow bones
  • 1 (7 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes undrained, cut-up
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme crumbled
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram crumbled
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • cheese cloth
  • 3/4 teaspoon Salt (optional)

Instructions

Soup

  1. Cook onions in butter over low heat 15 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar, increase heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring almost continuously, until even, deep, golden brown (25-30 minutes). Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire, Tabasco and pepper; simmer 30-40 minutes. Arrange bread on baking sheet, broil until lightly toasted on both sides. Sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese; broil until cheese melts.
  2. To Serve: Spoon soup into bowls; arrange bread on top, sprinkle with Parmesan.

Beef Broth

  1. Insert a whole clove in 2 onion quarters. Place onions and next 4 ingredients in large roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 450 F oven until bones are deeply browned (about 45 minutes), turning bones and vegetables occasionally. Transfer ingredients from roasting pan to 8-quart stockpot. Discard fat in roasting pan. Stir 2 cups water into roasting pan, heat and scrape to loosen any browned meat drippings. Pour hot liquid and 10 cups additional water over bones and vegetables. Bring to boiling. Simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that rises to surface. Stir in next 8 ingredients. Simmer, partially covered, an additional 3 hours. Remove bones. (Remove meat from bones, refrigerated or freeze for future use). Strain broth through cheese cloth lined strainer. Stir in salt (optional). Refrigerate broth, leaving fat layer on surface until ready to use. Cover broth when cool.
  2. Tip: Beef broth can be stored, tightly covered, in refrigerator 1-2 days or in freezer 1 month.