Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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French Onion Soup

Individual French onion soup crocks are filled to the brim with a full bodied homemade beef broth and caramelized onions. Top with a thick slice of crusty french bread and cheese, and broil until the cheese melts and gets golden brown.

Ingredients for Broth:
  • 2 pounds meaty beef soup bones
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion
  • 6 peppercorns
  • salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp thyme
  • 5 springs fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp Worcshetershire sauce
  • 1 tsp Soya sauce
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry
  • 8 cups water
Ingredients for caramelized onions:
  • 5 cups thinly sliced Vadalia or yellow onions
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp sugar
Ingredients for bread and cheese topping:

  • 6 slices of thick french bread
  • 6 thick slices Gruyere, Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
Method for making broth:
  1. Coarsely chop carrots, celery and onion.
  2. Place beef bones and vegetable chunks on a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with oil.
  3. Roast in 450ยบ oven for 30 minutes.
  4. Put water and remaining ingredients in a large stock pot. Add the roasted bones and vegetables to the pot, scraping any brown bits from the roasting pan and adding to the pot.
  5. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 3-4 hours.
  6. Line a large colander with cheesecloth. Place a large bowl underneath and carefully pour hot broth through. (I find that placing the bowl and colander in the sink is a safe way to pour the hot liquid)
  7. If using immediately, scrape fat off the top. If using at a later date, chill broth. Once the broth has chilled the fat will rise to the top making it easy to skim off.
Method for caramelizing onions:
  1. Over medium heat melt butter. Add sliced onions and sprinkle with sugar.
  2. Stir until onions begin to sweat.
  3. Turn heat to low and allow onions to cook down and caramelize stirring every 5 minutes. This precess will take approximately 45-50 minutes. The onions will become a deep golden brown.
  4. Add caramelized onions to hot broth and simmer together for 30 minutes.
  5. To serve, ladle soup into oven proof individual soup crocks.
  6. Place french bread sliced onto a baking sheet and broil on both sides until toasted.
  7. Place filled crocks onto baking sheet and float one slice of toasted bread on soup.
  8. Top with generous slices of cheese.
  9. Leaving oven rack at regular height turn oven to broil. Place baking sheet with filled crocks in oven to broil. Keeping an eye on it, broil until cheese it bubbly and golden .
  10. Remove hot crocks onto plate with a serviette on it so that the plate does not crack from the heat of the crocks.
****If you don't have oven proof crocks, use soup bowl omitting the broiling step. For this method toast the bread with the cheese first and then just place a cheese toast onto each bowl of soup.*****

16 comments:

  1. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!! have a nice week, hugs, Flavia

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  2. Awesome job on this recipe Kathy. ..French Onion Soup .. just the way we love it.

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  3. looks absolutely yummy! It's the perfect thing for our cold Winnipeg winters! I always look forward to seeing what recipe will be on your blog next. Thx for the wonderful recipes and great tips! Rhoda

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  4. This is uncanny. I received a panicky e-mail from Korea yesterday. "Mom I had to buy a 2 kg bag of onions. The farmer's market won't sell vegetables in smaller amounts. What am I going to do with them?

    :)

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  5. Looks like a great recipe!
    I read the part about skimming the fat off the top and thought to myself, "Where have I read a tip about that?" So I pulled out my Farmer's Almanac of Everyday Recipes and sure enough, there it was: wrap several ice cubes in a plastic bag and drag it slowly through the surface of the warm soup. The fat will harden and cling to the bag.
    Hope that helps!

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  6. My husband absolutely LOVES french onion soup ... thanks for sharing this recipe ... He'll be a happy fellow! =)

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  7. That soup looks and sounds delicious. I could just eat some right now!

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  8. Oh I do love French Onion soup. Yours looks so good! When I was pregnant with Katie I craved French Onion Soup...

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  9. Someone else loves Julia Child ... this is very, very close to her stock recipe and her onion soup recipe

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  10. Oh...I LOVE French Onion soup...

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  11. Just wanted to thank youfro posting this recipe...and for taking the time to NEATLY detail it out for us. It really is appreciated!

    I enjoy soups...and this french onion soup looks fantastic!~Ellie

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  12. French Onion Soup is an all-time favorite around here. Of course, we love Jarlsberg to top it, as it melts so nicely and gives a wonderful, nutty flavor to the dish. Thanks for the recipe and for including Jarlsberg.

    Best,
    Casey Benedict
    on behalf of Jarlsberg USA

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  13. YUM! Made this last night, we used swiss and a skim mozza, omg was it ever to die for! Thanks for the recipe :)

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  14. Oven proof crocks are not something everyone has just sitting in the cupboard, but a fantastic place to pick them up is MCC or your local good will/thrift store. Cheap and then you can enjoy them in style! :)

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  15. That's what I call French onion soup. I can smell it and that is the best kind. I'll be checking this recipe out for sure...the cheese on top is what makes this so special

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  16. I bought the crocks at our local MCC store a couple of years ago, not realizing the trouble I'd have in locating a recipe. None of my cookbooks or magazines had one for French Onion Soup! So I am very pleased to see this here--thank you!!
    Laurette

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