I spent the long weekend at my cabin in the mountains. While the sun was out, the weather was frigid and the ground snowy. To take advantage of my free time, I decided to make a slow-cooking soup. French onion soup is a comforting, crowd-pleasing classic. Don't be intimidated by this bistro fave, it's really easy to make. You do need time to slice the onions and cook them down, so don't wait until the last minute to make it. The longer the onions caramelize the better the soup. To see how I made it, read more.


French Onion Soup
Modified from Bon Appétit magazine and Martha Stewart

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
6 onions (about 3 pounds), sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bay leaf
3 springs fresh thyme
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
6 cups canned beef broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
6-8 sourdough bread slices, toasted
8 ounces pecorino romano cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater (about 3 cups)

  1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot on medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Spread them out in as thin a layer as possible. Sprinkle with sugar, and cook, stirring just as needed to keep onions from sticking, until they are melting and soft, golden brown, and beginning to caramelize, 1 hour to an hour and a half.

  2. Sprinkle flour over onions, and stir to coat.
  3. Add wine and simmer until reduced to glaze, about 3 minutes. Stir in beef broth and mustard. Simmer 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  4. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into broilerproof bowls. Top each with slice of toast and grated cheeses. Broil until cheeses melt and bubble.

Serves 6-8.

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