Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée

The story

Onion soups have long been made in France as economical food, but the gratinéed Parisian form became especially associated with markets, cafés and late-night dining. Slow-cooked onions, stock, bread and cheese transformed modest ingredients into a substantial dish. It is famous for its dramatic contrast: sweet, mahogany-coloured onions and savoury broth beneath a crust of toasted bread and molten cheese. The browned top makes the soup feel both rustic and indulgent. The dish is strongly linked to Parisian brasseries and the former Les Halles market, where it was eaten by workers and night-time diners. It remains a classic cold-weather starter and a symbol of French café cooking.

Ingredients

• Main
• 2 piece onions4 onions
• 0.5 litre beef stock1L beef stock
• 1 tablespoon butter2 tbsp butter
• 0.5 tablespoon flour1 tbsp flour
• 2 piece slices baguette4 slices baguette
• 1 portion Gruyère cheeseGruyère cheese
• to taste to taste Salt and pepperSalt and pepper [Phase 1 metric normalisation: salt/pepper seasoning remains to taste]

Method

1. Method

   Sauté onions in butter until deeply caramelised. Stir in flour, then add stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls, top with baguette and cheese, and broil until golden.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated nutrition for Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée; use as editorial/testing data and refine from exact ingredient weights if needed.