REAL Classic French Onion Soup - THE FULL MONTY! (professional Michelin Star restaurant recipe)

Please be sure to have your ANNOTATIONS turned on so that you can read the ingredients and other step-by-step tips that will appear throughout this video.

[violentinstincts]

finally someone who does the proper recipe.

[JW-bewf]

Dr. Easter, I made this last weekend using your Beef stock recipe. Needless to say it turned out ridiculously good. Kids and wife loved it. My 6 year old thinks daddy is a better cook than mommy. This is my first victory in about 8 years :)

[mamanoy]

I just made this for my dad today and it was AMAZING. My dad loved it so much, he had 2 servings and skipped the main course! You wont believe how sweet the onions get with the braising method.

THANK YOU!

-Martin

[annliles]

I followed your advice and made the soup, absolutely perfect. My husband was seriously impressed. Thank you.

[BigGrrr]

Chef, this soup is amazing. Your approach makes so much sense once you understand the nature of the food and cooking. I tried to make this soup before using the methods everyone else uses, the "chop and stir, stir, stir" method, and the final product never matched the effort that went into it. Your technique is something only a professional knows, so I am grateful to you for sharing this "trade secret"! Thanks!

[SRV]

I finally made this recipe step by step this weekend, and not only was I pleased, but my friends (who came to visit from Europe) said it was the best French onion soup they ever had. Thanks.

[raskolnikov]

I enjoyed the fact that you were clearly frustrated with other methods of making french onion soup while you were discussing the recipe, it shows you are truly passionate about the quality of your food. You earned yourself a subscriber.

[johnnyharper]

I just want to tell you that I find your videos very informative, educational, and unpretentious. Thank you very much!

[michelleanthony]

Made this with your Classic French "Best Quality" Brown Beef Stock, as recommended. Wow. Your technique of braising the onions produced magical results. The aroma in my apartment went from harsh onions after an hour braising to sweet and mellow wonder after three hours. The final result was outstanding. After returning to the US after 4 years in Paris, expectations for my French Onion Soup were quite high. This definitely delivered!! Thanks!

[robertcook]

Great.  I apprentice as a sauciere with French Chefs 35 yrs ago. Now retired but do
volunteer work at rest.   The new Gen of chefs I beliee must have forgot their culinary classes etc.  I bring your video and my old classic info verifying what I try to explain.
The Rest. Owners believe the young gen. and constantly I watch their frustration on
consistency and quality.  The chefs don't share info, hide their recipie specials, I hope
to bring your quality to their table.
Tres Bien mon ami.

[ShinyBorel]

ANNOTATIONS
0:01.000
(The Full Monty)

0:10.400
Also, this video will show you how to cut the onion so that you will not add any sugar. In fact, you will add some vinegar instead. The beef stock used for this is the finest quality, as it must be for authentic French Onion Soup, as served in the best restaurants.

0:10.400
CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE BEEF STOCK RECIPE IN ANOTHER WINDOW.

0:10.400
This is a professional restaurant recipe. The methods will seem unorthodox, but the results are far superior. When we have to make 20 gallons of French Onion soup in a restaurant, we can't have 10 cooks are standing over 20 pots of onions stirring for hours. There are more efficient ways.

0:26.800
INGREDIENTS
750g (26 oz) Beef Stock
1.2kg (2.6 lbs) Yellow Onions
2 Bay Leaves
1 Garlic clove
Sherry Wine, dry -- not sweet
Balsamic Vinegar, good quality
Thyme (ideally fresh, but dried is okay)
Gruyere Cheese and Bread for croutons
Butter, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper

0:35.900
Use the best quality of onions you can find.

10:14.700
Additional note: I suggest adding some Gruyere (and ONLY Gruyere) cheese to the top of the soup OVER the crouton. Let the cheese melt into the soup as well as more being on the crouton. It won't look as good, but the flavor will be divine!

10:20.200
Photo courtesy of Chef Robert Span

2:12.597
By ONLY cutting the onion like this, and using your fingers (not a knife) to remove the core, then braising, the onions will be naturally very sweet without adding any sugar.

3:01.588
Melt 30 grams (1 oz) butter + 1 T olive oil, as shown.

4:11.088
Return to the oven (same temperature) for 30 minutes more, then stir again, and cook a final 30 minutes, for a total cooking time of 4 hours.

4:43.921
NOW you can cut them up without causing them to become harsh tasting.

4:55.555
You will use a total of 750g (1.6 lb) of the beef stock made in the other video. I'm adding only a little of that now to help the onions cut evenly.

5:30.222
You will also add one clove of garlic, finely cut. Don't use a garlic press to crush it. Cut it by hand for this recipe. You want it very finely cut.

6:19.100
Then spread butter - ideally garlic butter you made yourself - onto one side of the croutons (day old bread slices). You will cook these slowly.

7:23.349
That is, the side you buttered is the one that you will put down on the pan, and you will melt the Gruyere cheese on the other side now.

9:49.632
Here's a general rule of thumb to keep in mind - whenever a savory dish has a lot of natural sweetness to it, adding salt must be undertaken with the utmost care. This is when the salt balance is the most critical of all.

[maryleialoha]

I made this following your clear and somewhat entertaining tutorial and it turned out ro be the most delicous onion soup I have ever tasted! The braised onions are absolutley divine. I couldn't stop "ooh!"ing and "ahh"ing after every gulp. I found your channel about a month ago and subscribed. You are my favorite and clearly the best chef teacher on YouTube as well as on the planet. I bought all 3 of your books last week and cannot wait to read these treasures. Meanwhile, I have tried out several of your recipes with great success. I made notes as I watched and rewatched each video (no computer for annotations) but I think I can improve on it after I learn more from your books. Your videos also have the most positive and informative viewer feedback which is enjoyable to read. Wishing you a great success at the new restaurant you now are at and I hope you now and then may find time to continue your invaluable tutorials. Meanwhile I have over 200 videos that I am looking forward to watching. Aloha and mahalo nui loa!

[Southernlady]

I just wanted to finally leave a comment . I come here every time I go to prepare this soup . Here are a few things I have done at my home. Once we had French onion that had ox tail meat and it was delicious. Since I use the beef stock I strain off a roast I make In my pressure cooker for this recipie I keep the smallest amount of actual meat in the stock before I freeze it. It's the only thing I have ever done different than the exact way he makes this. It is a huge hit here and the absolute best recipie I have found . Honestly it's nice no to have to babysit onions either.

[NewDaysOldWays]

I made your French Onion Soup for dinner this evening and it was wonderful!  Never will I cut onions the way I use to.  Your tips make all the difference in making a meal go from being good to being fantastic!  Thank you so much!

[ladeebg]

I made this yesterday and was amazing! It was even better the second day, ( removed the fat from the top) I made the stock with beef ribs and was wonderful as well. Thank you for sharing the knowledge, I never knew onions could be so good!

[LadyASolveg]

I've taken cooking classes and never heard this about onions. Definitely something to look into. Thanks for the wonderful video

[christophergosset]

Thanks! did not know about the onion cutting driections impact on the sweetness.

[lumpyq]

I have made this Soup many times, I have researched this Soup many times. Only to find out I was doing it wrong all of the time. Chef, this is a beauty well done and thank you.

[vitbbwt]

I have been looking for this video forever. I used it back in the day. Glad to find it again!

[artistpw]

Yum - I wish I had a nice bowl of this right now!  That is nice to know about the method for cutting the onions.