International dishesSoupsEurope and North America1 hour 30 minutes
French onion soup stands or falls on one thing, caramelizing the onions. A kilo of onion needs 30 to 45 minutes of stirring before it turns deep brown and sweet. Raising the heat to hurry it only burns them bitter.
The butter and olive oil are heated together, and the onion is sliced evenly at 3 to 5mm so it cooks at the same rate. Each bowl is topped with bread and mozzarella and grilled at 200 degrees C until golden. The flour is cooked in butter first, and the beef stock goes in slowly afterwards to keep it free of lumps.
This batch weighs about 3.5kg, at roughly 58 calories per 100g.
Method
Peel the onions and slice them evenly at about 3 to 5mm.
Caramelize the onions: in a large heavy based pan, heat 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil, add 1kg onion, and cook over medium heat until soft. Once they turn pale gold, lower the heat and stir constantly for 30 to 45 minutes until they are deep brown and sweet. Add 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and a little salt as you stir.
In a second large pot, melt a little butter with olive oil, add 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, and stir until the flour turns golden.
Pour 2 liters beef stock into the pot slowly, stirring so the flour does not clump.
Add the caramelized onion, 100ml red wine if you are using it, salt and pepper. Bring it to the boil, lower the heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Cut the baguette into slices about 2cm thick and toast them golden. Cut 200g mozzarella into thin slices.
Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, set a slice of bread on top, cover it with mozzarella, and grill at 200 degrees C for about 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts and browns. Serve hot.
Tips
Yellow onions are sweeter and caramelize more readily than white ones.
Raising the heat to save time only burns the onions bitter.
Gruyere is hard to find in Vietnam, and a piece of mozzarella still melts and pulls beautifully.
Cook the flour until it turns golden and smells nutty before the stock goes in, as raw flour leaves a floury note in the soup.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.