Autumn humidity has come, but we certainly won’t let it bring us down! 😉 That’s why we decided to prepare a dish that we personally have tasted in the the Halles in Paris: la soupe à l’onion gratinée, an onion soup with bread and cheese 🙂 .
According to tradition, this onion soup should be eaten at dawn after a night out and, like any good traditional recipe, there are several variants. Some include the addition of an egg once the soup is ready, others the lardon fumé, smoked bacon, to further flavor up the dish. We have chosen a more classic version, with croutons and melted cheese; in particular we used the raclette, but if you prefer other types of cheese, feel free to change the recipe 🙂 .
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Soupe à l'onion - Parisian onion soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 kg of golden onions
- 2 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1 potato
- 1 l of meat broth or vegetable if you prefer
- 200 ml of fresh cream
- salt
- black pepper
- nutmeg
For the gratin
- 500 g of bread
- 250 g of raclette or other hard cheese
Instructions
For the soup
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Slice the onions, shallots and garlic and place in saucepan with a tablespoon of butter and brown sugar. The sugar will help to caramelize the onions and it will enhance their flavor.
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Turn on the heat and fry until the onion has a golden color.
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Add the potatoes cut into cubes, cover with broth and let simmer for about thirty minutes. Remember to salt and spice up your soup.
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Add the cream and continue cooking for another 5 minutes; if you prefer a smooth, mix it with a blender.
For the gratin
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Dice or slice the bread, and let it become golden in oven at 200 °C for few minutes.
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Grate the cheese using the wider holes of the grater.
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After that, pour the soup into small cups suitable for the oven. Cover with some toasted bread and add a handful of cheese.
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Bake in a preheated oven at 220 °C for a few minutes, just long enough to brown the cheese.