The French, unlike the Russians, do not treat first courses as everyday food. And it is this fact that shifts the emphasis to a completely different plane: everything that ceases to be everyday food may well become a delicacy. Therefore, the gourmet should treat French soups with great attention. Any of them is a real journey into the world of exquisite taste. And not only! In fact, this is "both bread and a show", because each has a unique legend.
The best example is the famous French onion soup. It would seem that what could be simpler than a bulb? And the history of its origin is connected not with anyone, but with the king himself! It says that this soup was invented by Louis XV, when one night, being out hunting and being brutally hungry, did not find anything of food in his hunting lodge. Only onions, champagne and butter. However, the king is the king, so as not to whine and make decisions quickly. So he took everything he found, cooked it, and it turned out incredibly tasty. Nowadays, the recipe for onion soup has changed, and no one pours champagne there anymore. But in the best French restaurants, sherry, cognac or wine are always added to this dish.
If onion soup "descended" among the people from the very throne, then the famous bouillabaisse, on the contrary, has become a status dish, rising from the bottom. At one time, it was invented by poor fishermen, who threw in their stew all the fish that they could not sell in a day. Today, however, the inventors of bouillabaisse could hardly afford it. Up to 40 types of fish are put into the soup, served only with properly fried croutons and delicious aioli sauce. Well, its cost in some Provencal restaurants reaches 200 euros!
Where is the famous French romance? The answer is: in a traditional French julienne soup. So in France they call both the type of very fine slicing, and the soup, which uses vegetables that are chopped in this way. And the name of both the slices and the soup, according to legend, was given by a loving cook - in honor of a girl named Julienne. Why the culinary specialist had such associations with his beloved is difficult to guess. However, as the poet said, "your imagination will quickly draw you up." And the fact that it will play out after a plate of wonderful French soup is simply guaranteed.
For 12 persons:white cabbage - 0.5 head of cabbage, carrots - 2 pcs., turnips - 1 pc., potatoes - 4 pcs., canned beans - 2 cans, onions - 1 pc., smoked brisket - 250 g, bay leaf - 2 pcs. ., cloves - 3 pcs., vegetable oil, salt
Peel the onion. Stick a carnation in it. Send to a pot of water (2.5 l), add bay leaf. Cook for 30-35 minutes, remove onions and bay leaves, discard. Peel and chop the carrots. Wash cabbage, chop. Simmer in vegetable oil until soft. Wash turnips and potatoes, peel, chop coarsely. Put stewed vegetables in the broth, bring to a boil. Salt. Add potatoes and turnips, bring to a boil again, cook for 15-20 minutes. Grind the brisket. Drain the beans from the jars. Put the beans and brisket in the soup, cook for 20-25 minutes.
Calorie content per serving 230 kcal
Time for preparing 55 minutes
7 points
For 4 persons:onions - 5 pcs., hard cheese - 100 g, white bread - 4 slices, flour - 1 tbsp. l., beef broth - 400 ml, butter - 50 g, salt
Peel and chop the onion. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Put onion, simmer until golden brown. Add flour, mix. Pour in broth and water (700 ml). Bring to a boil, cook for 5-7 minutes. Pour the soup into the pots. Dry the bread in a toaster or oven. Grate cheese, sprinkle on soup in each pot. Put a slice of bread on top and sprinkle with cheese again. Bake in the oven at 180 ° C until the cheese is browned.
Calorie content per serving 275 kcal
Time for preparing 55 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 9 points
For 9 persons: mussels - 300 g, royal shrimps - 300 g, trout fillet - 400 g, tomatoes - 1 kg, onions - 1 pc., garlic - 2 cloves, chopped parsley - 2 tbsp. l., bay leaf - 2 pcs., olive oil, salt
Wash tomatoes, peel, chop finely. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Fry onions, garlic and parsley in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, bay leaf and water (600 ml). Bring to a boil, season with salt. Cook for 25 minutes. Rinse the fish fillets, chop coarsely, send to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Put mussels and shrimps to the fish, cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove the seafood from the soup, strain the broth (do not throw away the vegetables). Pour in 3 tbsp. l. butter and boil the broth for 3-4 minutes. Return vegetables and seafood to the pot.
Calorie content per serving 240 kcal
Time for preparing 40 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points
For 6 persons:potatoes - 500 g, leeks - 500 g, onions - 1 pc., green onions - 1 bunch, cream - 200 ml, chicken broth - 1 l, butter - 100 g, salt
Peel and chop onions. Melt the butter in a saucepan, fry the onions in it. Wash the leeks, chop finely. Send to a saucepan, simmer until soft. Wash potatoes, peel, cut into cubes. Place in a saucepan, pour in broth. Salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender bowl, pour in the cream. Grind to a puree consistency. Cool down. Sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving.
Calorie content per serving 310 kcal
Time for preparing 45 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points
For 6 persons: cauliflower - 1 kg, eggs - 2 pcs., sour cream - 0.5 cups, milk - 1 cup, flour - 2 tbsp. l., butter - 3 tbsp. l., salt, ground white pepper
Disassemble the cabbage into inflorescences, wash. Send to boiling salted water, cook for 10 minutes. Put butter in another saucepan. Fry the flour on it until golden brown. Pour in a glass of boiling water, stir. Dip the cabbage into the oil-flour mixture. Top up with boiling water (water should only slightly cover the inflorescences). Cook for 15 minutes. Grind with a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Return soup to pot, pour in hot milk. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with sour cream, stir in the soup. Can be served with croutons.
Calorie content per serving 310 kcal
Time for preparing 35 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points
For 10 persons:pumpkin - 1 kg, potatoes - 2 pcs., onions - 2 pcs., milk - 500 ml, chicken broth - 500 ml, sugar - 1 tsp., 20% cream - 5 tbsp. l., butter, salt
Peel the pumpkin, peel, pulp and seeds. Rinse, cut into large cubes. Peel and chop the onion. Saute in butter. Put the pumpkin in the pan with the onion. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5-7 minutes. Peel, wash and chop the potatoes. Pour hot milk and broth into a saucepan. Send potatoes and pumpkin with onions to liquid. Salt. Cook until the potatoes are tender. Purée the soup in a blender. Add cream, stir.
Calorie content per serving 285 kcal
Time for preparing 35 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points
For 10 persons: shrimp - 500 g, onion - 1 pc., celery root - 1 pc., carrots - 1 pc., tomatoes - 5 pcs., fish broth - 1 l, 25% cream - 100 ml, dry white wine - 150 ml, butter - 30 g, olive oil, salt
Wash, peel, chop onions, celery, carrots. Defrost the shrimps. Fry in a saucepan in olive oil. Take out after 3-4 minutes. Melt the butter in the same saucepan. Fry onions, carrots and celery until soft. Wash tomatoes, peel, puree in a blender. Send the tomato mass to the pan with vegetables. Salt and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour in fish broth and wine. Bring to a boil, cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Peel the shrimp. Put the shells and heads in the broth. Cook for 30 minutes. Take them out. Grind the soup in a blender until puree. Chop the shrimp meat. Put in soup, pour cream. Stir, warm up for 5 minutes.
Calorie content per serving 260 kcal
Time for preparing 55 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points
For 2 persons:tomatoes - 400 g, onions - 1 pc., garlic - 1 clove, chicken broth - 100 ml, powdered sugar - 30 g, dried basil, olive oil, salt
Wash the tomatoes, cut in half. Grease a baking sheet with oil, put the halves of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and basil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190 ° C. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Fry in olive oil. Place the baked tomatoes and fry in a blender. Salt. Grind until smooth. Pour in broth, stir. Garnish with basil leaves before serving.
Calorie content per serving 240 kcal
Time for preparing 35 minutes
Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 7 points
Photo: Thinkstock.com/Gettyimages.ru
Sooner or later, every culinary specialist will want to cook and taste the classic French onion soup. We will help you find out more about it and tell you how to prepare the famous dish.
The history of French onion soup goes back more than one century. Initially, this first course was a traditional dish of the poor and consisted only of cheap onions and waste crusts of bread. But times change and recipes too. Already in the 17th century, for noble nobles, chefs prepared onion soup on beef broth with meat, a drop of white wine, sugar and a spoonful of wheat flour. A dish with baked wheat bread croutons was served beautifully.
To this day, recipes for onion soup have also come down with changes. Added cheese, and you can choose it taking into account the individual taste - processed, hard or soft. If broth is used, then vegetable, chicken or meat.
The soup recipe is quite simple, you just need to adhere to some nuances:
the soup uses such components - broth, onion, croutons and cheese; if you have the opportunity, buy expensive cheese "Parmesan", "Gruyere" or "Gouda", but if this is not possible, take a simple hard cheese of good quality - the finished result will exceed your expectations, the soup will turn out to be quite thick, rich with a sweetish taste; fresh or dried thyme will add a unique flavor to the first course.
Melted cheese and golden crunchy croutons add spice. The taste of the finished soup depends not only on the broth used, but also on the degree of onion passivation. Frying over low heat, the onion pieces are gradually baked and change color to ruddy, slightly golden. Due to the long processing, the onion is slightly caramelized due to the large amount of sugar contained in the vegetable.
So, if you are ready and decided to pamper your family with an exquisite French soup, let's start cooking.
Taste Info Hot soups / Cheese soup
Ingredients
- onions - 1 kg;
- butter - 65 g;
- broth or boiling water - 1 liter;
- hard cheese - 200 g;
- baguette - 8 slices;
- thyme to taste.
How to make a classic French onion soup
Peel the onion. Cut into quarters, then chop into thin strips. For soup, not only onions, but also white onions or shallots are perfect. It tastes more delicate and sweet.
Now prepare a deep skillet in which we will cook the soup. You can also take a thick-walled saucepan. Melt a slice of butter in it.
Dip the onion slices into the skillet. Grill over moderate heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula. This process is quite lengthy and the taste of the finished dish depends on this step. Roasting time approximately 25-35 minutes. Fry until the onion begins to caramelize and slightly change color to golden brown.
Literally in 15-20 minutes, it became transparent and soft. Continue to fry further.
Once you have reached the desired result, pour in 250 ml of broth. Moreover, you can use meat, vegetable broth or simple boiling water. Continue to grill over low heat. All broth or water should completely evaporate.
After almost all of the liquid has evaporated and a trace of the scapula remains, proceed to the next step.
Pour another 250 ml of liquid, add dried or fresh thyme and continue cooking in the same mode until the water evaporates.
After that, add the remaining liquid and boil to the desired thickness.
For croutons, you can take a baguette or cut out such blanks from a loaf of wheat bread.
Dry them in a dry frying pan until golden brown on both sides.
Put the stewed onions in deep portioned heat-resistant tins or pots, in this case, 4 containers.
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Sprinkle with grated hard cheese.
Place two hot croutons each.
Sprinkle with hard cheese. Send it to the hot oven for a couple of minutes so that the cheese melts and immediately, so that the soup does not cool, serve to the table.
French onion soup in pots is ready. Enjoy your meal!
Cream Cheese Onion Soup
Another type of spicy first course is onion soup with melted cheese. It tastes more delicate and subtle. Processed cheese is added at the beginning of the French soup and dissolves completely in the broth or at the end when serving. Then the cheese will only melt a little from the hot one, but the velvety taste will not disappear from this.
Ingredients:
- onions - 1 kg;
- butter (or ghee) - 60 g;
- wheat bread - 2-3 slices;
- processed cheese - 100 g;
- broth or water - 1 liter;
- salt and spices to taste.
- After peeling and washing, cut the onions into thin strips.
- Place the butter (50 g) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over low heat. Add the whole onion to the butter. Stir and sauté until the onion turns yellow-golden. Be sure to stir to prevent the pieces from burning.
- Then pour about half of the hot broth or boiling water into a saucepan. Stir and simmer with the lid half closed until the moisture evaporates. Pour in the rest of the broth again and cook until the thickness you want. Salt and spice to your liking now.
- Place the remaining piece of butter in a skillet and heat. Fry slices of wheat bread on it according to the number of servings of soup. It is not necessary to cut the crusts from the bread.
- Grate the melted cheese and sprinkle it on toasted bread. Remove the pan from the stove, but cover with a lid. The heat will melt soft cheese and look delicious.
- Pour a portion of the soup into a plate, put the crouton with cheese directly on it. Serve immediately.
Slimming Onion Soup
Onion soup for weight loss is very good. It is low in fat and quite high in calories to keep you full for the day. Only one component of this first course is high-calorie - cheese. But in this recipe, cheese is served separately and you can put on your plate just as much as your dietary food allows. Together with this fragrant soup, France will enter your kitchen with its sophisticated traditions and amazing tastes.
Ingredients:
- onions - 1 kg;
- vegetable oil - 1-2 tbsp. l .;
- water - 1 l;
- cheese - 100 g;
- wheat bread - 2-3 slices;
- salt - 5-6 g;
- fresh parsley - for serving.
- After peeling and rinsing, cut the onion into thin halves and then into thin slices. Place in a saucepan and sauté with vegetable oil for about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir.
- After changing the color of the onion, pour in hot boiled water and salt. Stir. Simmer on a low boil with the lid covered. The readiness of the dish is determined by boiling half the volume and softness of the onion.
- Cut slices of wheat bread into slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake without oil in the oven at 200 C for 5-7 minutes.
- Rinse and dry the parsley. And cut the cheese into cubes.
- Serve the soup in a bowl, garnish with parsley. Place pieces of croutons in the center, and put cheese cubes on a saucer next to it.
Onion soup with chives and leeks
Real onion soup is made with sweet cheese. But, changing the recipe to your liking, you can use salty, spicy or sour varieties of hard or soft cheese. Try topping the dish with a spike of Pecorino or Camembert cheese. Soup with expensive soft cheeses - Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Dor Blue - will have an even richer taste.
Ingredients:
- onions - 0.5 kg;
- leeks - 0.5 kg;
- butter - 50 g;
- green onion feathers - 2-3 pcs.;
- broth or water - 1 liter;
- cheese - 100 g;
- cream - 50 ml;
- wheat flour - 1 tbsp. l .;
- salt to taste.
- To make a puree onion soup, carefully process all the onions - sort and rinse. Separate the top leaves of leeks before washing, there is often sand. Then cut the onion into strips. Set aside the green feathers separately - they are for serving. Leave some leek rings as well.
- Put all the onions and almost all the leeks in a frying pan with butter. Saute for a few minutes to start the caramelization process.
- After sautéing, transfer the onion to a saucepan and pour over the hot broth. Salt. Simmer over low heat with the lid half closed.
- In the meantime, grind the cheese on a grater. And mix cool cream with flour so that there are no lumps.
- When the soup has boiled down to 0.5 times the original volume, add the cheese. Purée the soup with an immersion blender - there should be a uniform consistency.
- Put the soup back on the fire and add the cream and flour. Stir and bring to a near boil. Your delicious soup is ready!
- Serve in portioned bowls, garnish with chopped green onions and thin rings of leeks. Prepare croutons if desired and serve them separately on a saucer.
We told you how to make a delicious onion soup, in the end we will give some tips:
- Use a tasty sweet onion, it should caramelize well.
- Stir the onions all the time, do not burn.
- Fry onions in quality butter with a little olive oil.
- Use a good stock made from poultry, beef, or pork as a base. Vegetable broth will also work. But the classic soup is made only from beef broth.
- From spices, nutmeg, rosemary, and thyme are added to the soup.
- Often dry white wine is added to add piquancy when sautéing onions. This secret is often used by modern chefs.
- Caramelize the onions over medium heat, it will take about 25-30 minutes, you can simmer the onions and gradually add liquid for longer. Some French chefs stew onions for an hour or more. The longer the onions caramelize, the tastier the soup will be.
We previously prepared.
Real French soup is a very simple dish! There are many cooking variations: you have chosen 7 interesting recipes for you.
- chicken broth - 500 ml
- butter - 60 gr
- hard cheese - 100 gr
- onions - 5 pieces
- mini baguette - 1 piece
- dry thyme - 10 gr
Sprinkle the croutons with cheese. We put it in an oven preheated to 200 ° C, here it is important to just melt the cheese. This usually takes 3 minutes. When the cheese is melted, you can safely serve onion soup to the table. Enjoy your meal!
Recipe 2: French Onion Soup with White Wine
- 600 g onions
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 150 g of hard or semi-hard cheese
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 70 g butter
- 1 liter chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Ground black pepper
- Baguette
Dissolve the olive oil in a saucepan with a thick bottom, throw cubes of butter into it, small fire.
Cut the garlic into petals, the onion into thin rings or half rings, put it all in butter, sprinkle with sugar and caramelize it all for 7-10 minutes over high heat until it is tanned, stirring occasionally.
Now we reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pour in wine and hot chicken broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil and leave on low heat for about an hour with the lid open, let it boil down slowly.
We make croutons: cut the baguette into slices 15 mm thick, rub with a clove of garlic, put on a dry baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and in the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
Pour the finished onion soup into portioned pots or refractory bowls, put a piece or two of toast, generously sprinkle finely grated cheese on top and - in the oven for a few minutes at 170 or 180 degrees, until the cheese melts well. Alternatively, the oven can be replaced with a microwave. French onion soup is ready!
Recipe 3: French red onion soup (step by step photos)
- red onion - 750 gr
- leeks - 250 gr
- dry white wine - 250 ml
- garlic - 2 cloves
- butter - 40 gr
- vegetable oil - 30 ml
- thyme - 2-3 branches
- bay leaf - 1 piece
- cheese - 100 gr
- salt pepper
We peel and finely chop 750 g of a red onion.
Cut the leek stalks into thin strips.
With the side of the knife, crush a couple of garlic cloves.
Then chop them finely.
Pick the thyme leaves by hand.
Pour 30 ml of vegetable oil into a saucepan.
We mix it with 40 g of butter.
First fry the red onion in a mixture of oils.
Then add the leek to it.
Stirring regularly, fry both types of onions over low heat for about half an hour, until they are browned and the caramelization process begins.
At this point, add the chopped garlic.
Add thyme.
And pour in a glass of dry white wine.
Next, we send 2 liters of beef or chicken broth to the stewpan.
We are waiting for a boil.
After the onion soup boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover the saucepan with a lid and continue boiling for another 25 minutes.
Then we pour the soup in portions into fireproof containers for serving.
Put 2 baguette toast on top of each.
We crush them with finely grated cheese.
We put the soup in the oven over medium heat. We bake the dish until golden brown appears on the cheese.
After that, we take out the French onion soup from the oven and serve it to the table.
Recipe 4: French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese
- unsalted butter - 3 Tbsp. spoons
- large yellow onions - 6 Pieces (about 1.8 kg)
- salt - 1 To taste
- water - 2 Cups (plus water for onions)
- dry sherry - ½ Cup
- chicken broth - 4 Cups
- meat broth - 2 Cups
- sprigs of fresh thyme - 6 Pieces
- bay leaf - 1 Piece
- ground black pepper - 1 To taste
- small baguette - 1 Piece
- gruyere cheese - 240 grams (about 2 ½ cup)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Drizzle oil over a large saucepan. Cut the onion into slices about 6 mm thick. Add butter, onion and 1 teaspoon of salt to a saucepan. Cook in the oven, covered with a lid, 1 hour. The onion will decrease slightly in volume. Remove the saucepan from the oven, stir the onion. Return to the pan in the oven, cover with a slightly opened lid and continue cooking until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1½ to 1 ¾ hours, stirring the onions after 1 hour.
Remove the saucepan from the oven and place over high heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the onions turn brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if onions brown too quickly. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the pan at the bottom is darkened, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir the onion with ¼ glass of water and cook until the water evaporates, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat adding water 2 or 3 times until the onion is very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, 2 cups water, thyme sprigs tied with kitchen string, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaves, then season with salt and pepper.
Cut the baguette into slices. While the soup is simmering, place the baguette pieces in one layer on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees in the oven until the bread is crispy and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Fill each plate with 1 ¾ cup of soup. Top with 1 or 2 slices of baguette and sprinkle evenly with grated Gruyere cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe 5: French onion soup on water (step by step with photo)
- Onions - 800 g. It is better to take white or yellow onions. Red is not suitable for this soup at all!
- Celery stalks - a couple of pieces, about 50 g.
- Olive oil - 3 tablespoons.
- Water or vegetable broth - 1 liter.
- Dried thyme - 0.5-1 teaspoon.
- Flour - 2 tablespoons.
- Salt and pepper to taste. I need 1 teaspoon of salt for the specified amount of food.
For serving, you need cheese and a French baguette (or just bread). You can take a baguette both white and rye.
- You need to take hard cheese, a piece weighing about 200 g.
Peel the onion, cut each onion into quarters. Chop the onion thinly.
Slice the celery stalks thinly.
Heat the olive oil in a cauldron and put the onion and celery into it. Stir and leave to cook over medium or low heat for half an hour to an hour. At the same time, be sure to periodically stir the onion so that it cooks evenly. The finished onion should be greatly reduced in volume and acquire a golden hue.
Add flour to the cauldron, mix with onions. The flour will serve as an additional thickener for the soup.
Add thyme. Pour the onion with water or broth, bring the soup to a boil. Cook without a lid for another 15-20 minutes.
Only then can the soup be salted and peppery. If you do this earlier, then you run the risk of oversalting the soup, as it boils down during the cooking process.
Cut the baguette into slices and dry in the oven or airfryer to make the bread crispy.
If desired, pieces of toasted bread can be grated with garlic cloves.
There is a finishing touch left!
Pour the onion soup into heat-resistant forms.
We spread a piece of baguette on top.
Sprinkle generously with cheese.
We put this miracle to bake in the oven or airfryer at a temperature of 180 degrees C. For a short time, for 2-3 minutes. We need the cheese to melt.
Done! We serve the soup immediately hot, sprinkle with fresh herbs.
Recipe 6: French Onion Soup with Cognac
- 1 kg of onions, cut into half rings
- 50 gr butter
- 1 tbsp Sahara
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp flour
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 1.5 liters of chicken or beef broth
- 50 ml brandy
- ground black pepper
For filing:
- 4 slices of puffed bread
- 100 gr semi-hard cheese
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add onion, salt and sugar. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and golden, about 20-25 minutes.
Sprinkle the onion with flour and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour in the wine and bring everything together to a boil over medium heat, cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.
Pour in the broth, mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum, cover loosely, cook the soup for 40-50 minutes. The onions should boil well, the soup should thicken a little, and its taste should be concentrated. Pour in cognac, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Prepare croutons for serving. To do this, preheat the oven to 180 ᵒС. Put the bread on a baking sheet in one layer, and generously put grated cheese on the bread.
Place a baking sheet of bread in the oven and bake until the cheese begins to brown.
Serve the hot onion soup, generously seasoning with black, freshly ground pepper, placing a crouton with cheese in each plate.
Recipe 7: simple French onion soup (with photo)
- onions - 2 pieces
- butter - 30 gr
- cheese - 30 gr
- bread - 1 slice
- flour - 1 tsp.
- ground black pepper
- water - 150 ml
Peel the onions, rinse them in water and cut into medium cubes. Melt the butter in a saucepan or cauldron by placing the container on the stove. Add the onion slices to the butter and save until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Be sure to watch the color of the fried cuts and remember to stir them.
Once the onion slices are browned, add salt, ground black pepper, water and wheat flour to it. Gently mix everything and simmer over the fire for about 10 minutes. Instead of water, you can use any broth: vegetable, chicken, meat, fish, if you have one. While the soup is cooking, heat the oven to 200C.
Grate hard cheese with fine cells.
When it comes to French soups, the first name that comes to mind is the aromatic soupe à l’oignon. This dish is a visiting card of the national cuisine and one of the obligatory menu items for every tourist in the country. Let's start this review with him.
Onion soup (soupe à l’oignon)
There are hardly a lot of boiled onion lovers, which cannot be said about French onion soup. In France, almost no one can remain indifferent to this treat. Rich beef broth and onions are its main ingredients. Moreover, it is not the broth that gives the unique aroma, but the onion, which is traditionally sautéed in oil for a long time.
In the process of long simmering, the onions caramelize and acquire a beautiful amber hue. It transfers this color and incredibly rich aroma to the finished soup. Sometimes in France, alcohol is added to the broth for piquancy, for example, white wine or. Soup is prepared in small portions and served on the table in the same dish. The dish is served with croutons with melted cheese, placing them directly in the pot. This soup is a true classic of French cuisine.
The recipe for onion soup has been known since ancient times. At first, it was a traditional dish of the French poor, as onions are one of the cheapest and most affordable foods. Over time, the aromatic soup firmly established itself in restaurant menus. They say that the king of France Louis XV loved the soupe à l'oignon, and one of the legends even claims the invention of this dish to the monarch. Although another legend attributes its origin to the era of Roman rule.
One of the best onion soups in Paris can be enjoyed for € 9 at Les Philosophes (28 rue Vieille du Temple). The Flottes restaurant (2 rue Cambon) offers an equally delicious dish, and here a serving of soup costs 11.40 €.In addition to the classic onion soup, an exquisite vichyssoise puree soup is prepared in France. Potatoes can be used as ingredients for it and, of course, several different varieties of onions, which are stewed in chicken broth, and then whipped until mashed together with cream. Unlike the traditional onion soup, Vichyssoise is eaten cold: it is believed to be especially good in the summer heat. Sometimes croutons are added to it and served with a shrimp salad with fennel.
Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse, or Marseilles fish soup, is nothing more than a Mediterranean-style French fish soup. There are many recipes in the country. Even in the homeland of bouillabaisse, in Marseille, where it is prepared in all restaurants and cafes, it is unlikely that two absolutely identical options will be found. The basis of the soup is an incredibly rich broth, which in France is traditionally cooked from several varieties of fish.
The second main component of bouillabaisse is fried and stewed vegetables, which are present in large quantities. When cooking, spices must be added: saffron and star anise. It is they who give the very bright taste of fish soup a characteristic light aniseed aroma. The dish is served with croutons and garlic "rui" sauce, which is spread on them.
Bouillabaisse was originally a cheap soup made by fishermen in Marseille, which they cooked from fish left over from the sale. Today in France this fish soup is prepared either only from fish, or from fish with the addition of shrimp, lobster, mussels and other seafood. Depending on this, a portion of soup in can cost from 10-15 € to 150-200 €.
Magnificent bouillabaisse is served at the Vin et Marée Saint Honoré (165 rue Saint Honore) fish restaurant, located in the heart of Paris, near the Louvre.
Pumpkin soup (soupe à la citrouille)
This is one of the most favorite soups in France, and not only vegetarians like it. It is cooked mainly in autumn and winter. There are many different recipes, but the main ingredients are the same: pumpkin, vegetables, cream and spices. The dish has a pleasant aroma and delicate uniform consistency, because pumpkin soup is a puree soup.
In the small southern town of Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, near Nice, the Pumpkin Festival is held annually in October. On this day, the roots of which go back centuries, the city turns into a real "pumpkin" capital of France. Farmers from all over the area bring crops, and in the central square, chefs prepare a variety of dishes from the bright vegetable. The "highlight of the program" every year is pumpkin soup, which is traditionally served in a huge pumpkin. During the holiday, guests eat 900 liters of aromatic treats!
In the French capital, delicious pumpkin soup is served at Le Chamarre de Montmartre (52 rue Lamarck), while La Ferrandaise (8 rue de Vaugirard) offers a signature pumpkin soup with chestnuts.
Cheese soup (soupe au fromage)
Another traditional French soup is cheese. It is France that is the birthplace of the dish, which today has become popular far beyond the borders of the country. The soup is prepared in chicken broth with vegetables and cheese. Despite its apparent simplicity, it can be found on the menus of many restaurants.
French soup is prepared with both hard and melted cheese, and each chef can boast of his own original recipe: with mushrooms, chicken, fish, seafood, vegetables, meatballs, white wine. You can try the traditional soup at the Parisian cheese restaurant L'Affineur 'Affiné (51 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette) for € 6.50.
The national cuisine of the country is characterized by both thick soups and rich broths - consommé. Popular are tomato soup, bread panade (panade) and the unusual potage de melon soup. These dishes are definitely worth trying during your trip to France.
Real French onion soup is a very simple dish. There are not many ingredients in the composition - lovers of complex first courses will be disappointed. There are dozens of versions of this soup, each eminent chef has his own version. However, the differences do not change the basics: onions, broth, croutons and cheese remain the ingredients of French onion soup; often dry white wine. And in any edition, the soup, seemingly rustic at first glance, turns out to be delicious in taste: tender, sweetish, with a fragrant ruddy cheese crust on top.
The main secret of French onion soup is long-term frying of onions. During frying, the sugar contained in the onion heads slowly caramelizes, the color becomes ruddy, and the taste is indescribably "onion", deep and delicate. Dry wine levels out the sweetish taste, makes it complete. Croutons with cheese become soft and tender during serving, turning the soup into a kind of thick cream. Prepare your taste buds for a feast: onion soup with cheese bread is an exceptional treat!
Cooking time: 60-70 minutes.
Yield: 1.5 liters of French onion soup.
Ingredients
- 700 ml meat or vegetable broth
- 350 g onions (4 medium heads)
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 70 g cheese
- 50 g butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 small baguette (or similar in taste and texture, such as ciabatta)
- salt, pepper - to taste
Preparation
Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion in it over low heat, stirring constantly.
When the onion starts to turn golden, crush two garlic cloves and transfer to the skillet.
Saute together for 4-5 minutes, then add flour to the onion. The flour will make the soup more smooth and slightly creamy.
Pour the broth into the onion and mix well so that no lumps of flour remain.
Add wine to the soup.
Season the soup with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the baguette into 1.5-2 cm slices and dry in the oven or toaster.
Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
Pour the finished onion soup into a heat-resistant dish and lay the dried bread on top. Ideal for onion soup, as it has a dense crumb and large pores, due to which it absorbs liquid well, but at the same time does not get wet and does not turn into "porridge". It is similar in consistency.
Lay a thick layer of cheese on top of the croutons.
Place the onion soup under the grill for 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
Serve immediately while the soup is very hot. Pour the soup into bowls with cheese croutons in each. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top of the dish. The amount of croutons and green onions is strictly to taste. I like it thicker.
French Onion Soup Revision: Puree Soup
A recipe with wine is not suitable for everyone. As for thyme, it is the favorite herb of the French, it is often added to dishes, and to soups too. A slightly different ratio of ingredients and a different technology should not confuse. But the lack of garlic will delight many. As well as a short step-by-step presentation.
Ingredients for 6 plates:
- 5 onions, cut into thin half rings
- 3 tablespoons fresh butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 liters of chicken, beef or vegetable broth
- bay leaf
- ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 baguette
- some olive oil (or butter)
- 200 grams of grated Gruyere cheese
Cooking method in short:
1. Heat the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion in it until transparent.
2. Pour flour into a saucepan and, stirring occasionally, continue to fry the onions and flour until golden brown (not brown).
3. Pour boiling broth into a saucepan, season with salt and pepper, put bay leaf, thyme and cook the soup for 20-30 minutes (until the onion is completely soft). Then pass the soup through a blender and puree.
5. Cut the bread into slices, spread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil on top. Put in the oven and keep there until croutons are obtained. Sprinkle grated cheese on toasted bread and grill until the cheese is melted.
6. If necessary, heat the grated French onion soup, pour it into bowls, and put 1-2 croutons filled with melted cheese in each plate before serving.
The nutritional value of 1 serving is 240 kcal (in meat broth).
