Recipe from Ali-Bab
Adapted by Amanda Hesser
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(821)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The onion soup originates from the French cookbook “Gastronomie Pratique,” which was written in 1907 by Henri Babinski. The Times published the recipe in 1974, when the book was first translated into English.
It is a strange recipe for soup that yields delicious results. Baguette toasts are spread with butter and layered with grated cheese, sautéed onions and tomato purée. Then, in what seems to be a nod to stone soup, salted water is gently poured in. The dish is then simmered and baked, and by the time it is done, the “soup” is like a savory bread pudding and the top has a thick, golden crust that your guests will fight to the death over. —Amanda Hesser
Featured in: Recipe Redux; 1907: Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6
- 1baguette, cut into ½-inch slices (about 25 to 30)
- 9tablespoons butter, softened
- 9ounces Emmental cheese, finely grated
- 8medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
- 1tablespoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1cup tomato purée
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
588 calories; 33 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 17 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 1103 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Toast the baguette slices and let them cool. Spread a generous layer of butter on each slice (you will need about 5 tablespoons), then lay the slices close together on a baking sheet and top with all but ½ cup of cheese.
Step
2
In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, about 15 minutes.
Step
3
In a 5-quart casserole, arrange a layer of bread slices (about ⅓ of them). Spread ⅓ of the onions on top, followed by ⅓ of the tomato purée. Repeat for two more layers. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup cheese. To avoid boiling over, the casserole must not be more than ⅔ full.
Step
4
In a saucepan, bring 1½ quarts water to a boil. Add the salt. Very slowly pour the salted water into the casserole, near the edge, so that the liquid rises just to the top layer of cheese without covering it. (Depending on the size of your casserole, you may need more or less water.)
Step
5
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the casserole on the stove and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, then transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 1 hour. The soup is ready when the surface looks like a crusty, golden cake and the inside is unctuous and so well blended that it is impossible to discern either cheese or onion. Each person is served some of the baked crust and some of the inside, which should be thick but not completely without liquid.
Ratings
4
out of 5
821
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Cooking Notes
michael sheehy
Took Jacques Pepin's suggestion and added 1/8 cup of both Worcestershire and Balsamic vinegar to onions as they started to cook. Added considerable depth and complexity vs recipe as written.
Badasaja
As expected, not exactly authentic french onion soup, but it yields uncanny favor from emmental and lightly caramelized onion. I've followed the recipe pretty much faithfully, and the result lacked liquid. It was moist but need more water to be called a genuine soup.
CL
This was absolutely delicious. My only tweak would be to add the liquid before you add the top layer of cheese. It was really hard to pour all the liquid into my dutch oven without dousing the cheese (which makes browning much harder).
When I make this again, I would probably add the liquid to the pan first, then add a thin layer of breadcrumbs as sort of a barrier between the liquid and the top layer of cheese, so it browns properly.
Anne Pelak
I saved this recipe when it ran in NYT Magazine several years ago. It is easy and delicious. Not traditional onion soup, but very, very good.
Karina Rosenberg
This combination of onions, bread and Gruyere is called a panade. Richard Olney has a wonderful recipe in Simple French Food.
Karina Rosenberg
This is known as an "onion panade". Check out Richard Olney's excellent but longer recipe in Simple French Food. It is a meal in a bowl and a party in your mouth.
susan
Next time, I would halve the amount of tomato purée, it was too strong a flavor for me and overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. And, maybe less layering in a shallower dish so more people get more of the crust.
Jenni
This was indescribably delicious. I added some Worschestchire and balsamic to the onions while they sauteed. Instead of tomato puree, I sprinkled 1 tsp of tomato powder over each layer and used homemade beef broth instead of water.
C.E. Wall
I had no idea how this one would really come together. A "strange recipe" for a soup indeed! (Found it needed a bit more than an hour in my oven to develop a crust.)
Anne
Right after graduating from college, I saved the July 25, 1975 NY Times clipping with this recipe, from an article about Elizabeth Benson's translation of Henri Babinski's Gastronomie Pratique, https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/25/archives/finally-monumental-cookbook-is-translated-respectful-silence-during.html. I've made this many, many times since, with only slight variations. It is unctuous, and not at all liquidy. Truly delicious. Don't use sweet onions, though - the flavor will be weak.
paul
nothing good, takes less than a few hours to prepare.
Mary Arendes
I love this dish. I have substituted chicken broth for salted water. Now I'm going to try the suggestion below to add worcestershire and balasamic to the onions!
Susan Bass
I have made this many times exactly as the recipe states and it never disappoints. Here in the New Haven area we are lucky to have really delicious ciabatta bread which is perfect. My only time-saver is that I butter and layer the bread as I go, grating the gruyere atop each layer as I go.
lyssa
Delicious winter dish. I substituted dense brown bread - quelle horreur! - which made it a different dish but deeply satisfying. Incredibly rich flavor despite the absence of beef broth you find in typical French onion soup recipes.
Anne
I use a small 14.5 oz. can of diced, pureed or whole/chopped tomatoes with the liquid. Paste (diluted with some water or wine), canned unflavored sauce, or fresh tomatoes work, too. This is a flexible recipe - I usually use more cheese and less butter on the bread, and lightly salt the onions but not the water. It is baking right now while I type...
tcflorida
Gross. Breast, buttery, tomatoey mess. Not a soup at all but more like a dense cake. Threw most of it (including pricey emmental) away. Stick with a traditional onion soup recipe.
JanHinNC
What sort of casserole dish does one use that can go on the stove for 30 minutes, then into the oven? Mine are Pyrex and can’t do stovetop. I have one cast iron casserole, but I think it is too deep (more like a soup/stew dish).
Esuzu
Aweful. It lacks depth .French use beef stock instead of water as liquid base.
Linnie
Read the notes before prepping.
Sophia Leahy
I forget when this was printed in the Times; I was getting the paper subscription so perhaps it was last century. I have it taped into my recipe folder and have made it many times. It is utterly delicious and I'm glad to see it here.
Nate
Maybe no need to butter the bread. A way to reduce the fat content. I'd add more water and use a bigger pan/pot next time to give it less of a lasagna, and more of a soup feel.
Sophia Leahy
I’ve never buttered the bread.
PADR
Some assembly required — but totally worth it! Can second the advice to season the onions with Worcestershire and Balsamic, and to thin the tomato paste with a little water. If you have 30 minutes’ extra time and a suitably large Dutch oven, the onions can be cooked down in the Dutch oven with occasional stirring, and then transferred out to a big bowl while the “soup” is assembled in the same Dutch oven. Less dishwashing, more flavor!
MM
This did not turn out as a *soup*, but it definitely turned out delicious.
Mary Arendes
I love this dish. I have substituted chicken broth for salted water. Now I'm going to try the suggestion below to add worcestershire and balasamic to the onions!
Jenni
This was indescribably delicious. I added some Worschestchire and balsamic to the onions while they sauteed. Instead of tomato puree, I sprinkled 1 tsp of tomato powder over each layer and used homemade beef broth instead of water.
Mollie O'Brien
Can someone tell me if I did 1 1/2 times this recipe in an 8 Qt casserole if the cooking time would be the same?
Anne
Right after graduating from college, I saved the July 25, 1975 NY Times clipping with this recipe, from an article about Elizabeth Benson's translation of Henri Babinski's Gastronomie Pratique, https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/25/archives/finally-monumental-cookbook-is-translated-respectful-silence-during.html. I've made this many, many times since, with only slight variations. It is unctuous, and not at all liquidy. Truly delicious. Don't use sweet onions, though - the flavor will be weak.
George
not for nothin' but another comment said this was a panade; respectfully,a panade is translated loosely as a "paste" made with a starchy item and a liquid (think pesto) used to tenderize meatballs... create quenelles... etc. It would be unfortunate if something thought this was a recipe for a paste and not an onion stew.
tomato puree?
Is that canned tomato sauce or paste?Or fresh onions purées in the blender?
Anne
I use a small 14.5 oz. can of diced, pureed or whole/chopped tomatoes with the liquid. Paste (diluted with some water or wine), canned unflavored sauce, or fresh tomatoes work, too. This is a flexible recipe - I usually use more cheese and less butter on the bread, and lightly salt the onions but not the water. It is baking right now while I type...
susan
Next time, I would halve the amount of tomato purée, it was too strong a flavor for me and overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. And, maybe less layering in a shallower dish so more people get more of the crust.
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