French onion soup
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
French onion soup
Prep time: 15 minsTotal time: 
Mickael Weiss
Frenchman Mickael Weiss has been head chef at London’s Coq d’Argent restaurant for more than 12 years. Casual and contemporary French seasonal eating sums up Mickael’s idea of what makes the perfect restaurant meal.
Mickael Weiss
Frenchman Mickael Weiss has been head chef at London’s Coq d’Argent restaurant for more than 12 years. Casual and contemporary French seasonal eating sums up Mickael’s idea of what makes the perfect restaurant meal.
Ingredients
- 50g butter
- 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- a sprig of thyme, leaves chopped, plus a few small sprigs
- 100ml dry white wine
- 1.2 litres good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
- 4 thick slices of French baguette, or other crusty bread
- 125g mature reserve Gruyère (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated
Step by step
Make up to the end of step 2 up to 2 days ahead. The soup also freezes well at this stage.
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Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onions with 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring often, until caramelised.
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Add the garlic and thyme, then the white wine, and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Add the stock to the pan and simmer the soup, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
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Towards the end of the simmering time, preheat the grill to high. Lay the slices of bread on a baking sheet and grill on one side only until toasted. Remove from the grill, turn over and sprinkle the untoasted sides with grated Gruyère.
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Check the soup’s seasoning and adjust if necessary, then pour into heatproof bowls. Top each serving with a slice of cheese-topped baguette and scatter over a few small thyme sprigs.
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Place the bowls under the grill until the cheese on the bread is bubbling and golden brown.
