Except in France, it’s just called onion soup.

It’s no secret we love to eat, so I always try to find a few regional specific recipes and bring them home to our dinner table. I knew when we were sitting in Nice, sipping Rosè and the most stunning bowl of cheesy soup arrived, that I HAD to make this a staple at home. It also helps when you find the exact same adorable bowls at Central Market!

Tonight is my favorite, French Onion Soup. Whenever I cook I never really have a recipe, so it is always hard to share these with my friends. Today I googled a bunch of different recipes, coupled with my personal taste testing experiences in the South of France. Below is my version. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 Onions- 2 sweet, 2 white
3 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
3 table spoons butter
3 table spoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 bottle red wine
6 cups beef bullion
french baguette
1/2 (or more!) shredded gruyere cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by slicing your onions and add them to a large stock pot with the melted butter and olive oil. Add in 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of pepper, garlic cloves, bay leaves and stir until onions are caramelized. It usually takes about 30 minutes until they are very soft and translucent.

Add in half a bottle of wine (remember, this should be drinkable wine!) and continue to stir and cook until the wine has reduced. The onions should be almost dry. Once the wine is gone from the pot, toss in the flour and stir for about a minute to help thicken the mixture. It also helps to turn the heat down to low, as to not burn the flower.

Add in 8 cups of water and 6 beef bullion cubes, unless you have fresh broth available. Stir and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven broiler to 500 degrees and arrange 4 oven safe bowls on a cookie sheet. Ladle soup into the bowls. Top with 1 slice of baguette and then with a handful of cheese. Place bowls in the oven until the cheese is bubbly and brown in places.

Let cool for 5 minutes and serve! This soup is especially delicious with a bottle of your favorite dry rose or cabernet.

Bon Appetite and Happy Travels!