The French, unlike Russians, treat first courses not as everyday food. And it is this fact that shifts the emphasis to a completely different plane: everything that ceases to be everyday food may well become a delicacy. And therefore, gourmets should treat French soups with great attention. Any of them is a real journey into the world of exquisite taste. And not only! In fact, this is “both bread and a spectacle”, because everyone has a unique legend.

The best example is the famous French onion soup. It would seem, what could be simpler than an onion? And the history of its occurrence is connected not with anyone, but with the king himself! It says that this soup was invented by Louis XV, when one night, being on a hunt and brutally hungry, he did not find any food in his hunting lodge. Only onions, champagne and butter. However, the king is the king, so as not to whine and make decisions quickly. So he took everything he found, cooked it, and it turned out incredibly tasty. Nowadays, the recipe for onion soup has changed, and no one pours champagne there anymore. But in the best French restaurants, sherry, cognac or wine are always added to this dish.

If onion soup "descended" to the people from the very throne, then the famous bouillabaisse, on the contrary, became a status dish, having risen from the bottom. At one time, it was invented by poor fishermen, who threw off all the fish that they could not sell in a day into their stew. Today, however, the inventors of bouillabaisse would hardly be able to afford it. Up to 40 types of fish are put in the soup, served only with properly fried croutons and a gourmet aioli sauce. Well, its cost in some Provencal restaurants reaches 200 euros!

And where is the famous French romance? The answer is: in the traditional French julienne soup. So in France they call both a type of very fine cutting, and a soup that uses vegetables chopped in this way. And the name of both cutting and soup, according to legend, was given by a cook in love - in honor of a girl named Julienne. It is difficult to guess why the culinary specialist had such associations with his beloved. However, as the poet said, this “imagination will quickly complete it for you.” And the fact that it will play out after a plate of wonderful French soup is simply guaranteed.

For 12 persons: white cabbage - 0.5 heads, carrots - 2 pcs., turnip - 1 pc., potatoes - 4 pcs., canned beans - 2 cans, onions - 1 pc., smoked brisket - 250 g, bay leaf - 2 pcs., cloves - 3 pcs., vegetable oil, salt

Clean the bulb. Stick a clove in it. Send to a pot of water (2.5 l), add bay leaf. Cook for 30-35 minutes, remove onion and bay leaves, discard. Peel and chop carrots. Wash cabbage, chop. Stew on vegetable oil until soft. Wash turnips and potatoes, peel and chop coarsely. Put the stewed vegetables into the broth, bring to a boil. Salt. Add potatoes and turnips, bring to a boil again, cook for 15-20 minutes. Grind the brisket. Drain the liquid from the beans. Put the beans and brisket in the soup, cook for 20-25 minutes.

Calorie per serving 230 kcal

Cooking time 55 minutes

7 points

For 4 persons: onion - 5 pcs., hard cheese - 100 g, white bread - 4 slices, flour - 1 tbsp. l., beef broth - 400 ml, butter - 50 g, salt

Peel the onion, chop. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add onion, sauté until golden brown. Add flour, mix. Pour in the broth and water (700 ml). Bring to a boil, cook for 5-7 minutes. Pour soup into bowls. Dry the bread in a toaster or oven. Grate the cheese, sprinkle the soup in each pot. Place a slice of bread on top and sprinkle with cheese again. Bake in oven at 180°C until cheese is browned.

Calorie per serving 275 kcal

Cooking time 55 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 9 points

For 9 persons: mussels - 300 g, king prawns - 300 g, trout fillet - 400 g, tomatoes - 1 kg, onion - 1 pc., garlic - 2 cloves, chopped parsley - 2 tbsp. l., bay leaf - 2 pcs., olive oil, salt

Wash the tomatoes, peel, finely chop. Peel and chop onion and garlic. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Saute onion, garlic and parsley in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes, bay leaf and water (600 ml). Bring to a boil, season with salt. Cook for 25 minutes. Rinse the fish fillet, chop coarsely, send to the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Put mussels and shrimp to the fish, cook for another 5-7 minutes. Remove the seafood from the soup, strain the broth (do not throw away the vegetables). Pour in 3 tbsp. l. oil and boil the broth for 3-4 minutes. Return vegetables and seafood to the pot.

Calorie per serving 240 kcal

Cooking time 40 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points

For 6 persons: potatoes - 500 g, leeks - 500 g, onions - 1 pc., green onions - 1 bunch, cream - 200 ml, chicken broth - 1 l, butter - 100 g, salt

Peel onion, chop. Melt the butter in a saucepan, fry the onion on it. Wash the leek, finely chop. Send to the pan, simmer until soft. Wash potatoes, peel, cut into cubes. Place in a saucepan, pour in the broth. Salt. Bring to a boil, cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender bowl, pour in the cream. Grind to a puree consistency. Cool down. Sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving.

Calorie per serving 310 kcal

Cooking time 45 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points

For 6 persons: cauliflower - 1 kg, eggs - 2 pcs., sour cream - 0.5 cups, milk - 1 cup, flour - 2 tbsp. l., butter - 3 tbsp. l., salt, ground white pepper

Disassemble the cabbage into inflorescences, wash. Send to boiling salted water, cook for 10 minutes. Put butter in another saucepan. Fry flour on it until golden brown. Pour a glass of boiling water, mix. Dip the cabbage into the butter-flour mixture. Add boiling water (water should only slightly cover the inflorescences). Cook for 15 minutes. Grind with a blender until smooth. Salt and pepper. Return the soup to the pot, pour in the hot milk. Separate egg yolks from whites. Beat the yolks with sour cream, stir into the soup. Can be served with crackers.

Calorie per serving 310 kcal

Cooking time 35 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points

For 10 persons: pumpkin - 1 kg, potatoes - 2 pcs., onions - 2 pcs., milk - 500 ml, chicken broth - 500 ml, sugar - 1 tsp, cream 20% - 5 tbsp. l., butter, salt

Clean the pumpkin from the peel, pulp and seeds. Wash, cut into large cubes. Peel the onion, chop. Saute in butter. Put the pumpkin into the pan with the onion. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt. Cook, stirring, for another 5-7 minutes. Peel, wash and cut potatoes. Pour hot milk and broth into a saucepan. Send potatoes and pumpkin with onions to the liquid. Salt. Cook until potatoes are ready. Puree the soup in a blender. Add cream, stir.

Calorie per serving 285 kcal

Cooking time 35 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points

For 10 persons: shrimps - 500 g, onions - 1 pc., celery root - 1 pc., carrots - 1 pc., tomatoes - 5 pcs., fish broth - 1 l, cream 25% - 100 ml, dry white wine - 150 ml, butter - 30 g, olive oil, salt

Wash, peel, chop onions, celery, carrots. Defrost shrimp. Fry in a saucepan with olive oil. Take out after 3-4 minutes. Melt the butter in the same saucepan. Saute onions, carrots and celery until soft. Wash the tomatoes, peel the skin, puree in a blender. Send the tomato mass to the pan with the vegetables. Salt, simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour in fish broth and wine. Bring to a boil, cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Clean the shrimp. Put the shells and heads into the broth. Cook for 30 minutes. Take them out. Puree the soup in a blender until puree. Grind shrimp meat. Put in the soup, pour in the cream. Stir, heat for 5 minutes.

Calorie per serving 260 kcal

Cooking time 55 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 8 points

For 2 persons: tomatoes - 400 g, onion - 1 pc., garlic - 1 clove, chicken broth - 100 ml, powdered sugar - 30 g, dried basil, olive oil, salt

Wash tomatoes, cut in half. Grease a baking sheet with oil, lay out the halves of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and basil. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190°C. Peel and chop onion and garlic. Fry in olive oil. Place the roasted tomatoes and roast in a blender. Salt. Grind until smooth. Pour in the broth, stir. Garnish with basil leaves before serving.

Calorie per serving 240 kcal

Cooking time 35 minutes

Difficulty level on a 10-point scale 7 points

Photo: Thinkstock.com/Gettyimages.ru

Authentic French onion soup is a very simple dish. The composition includes not many ingredients at all - lovers of complex first courses will be disappointed. There are dozens of editions of this soup, each eminent chef has his own version. However, the differences don't change the basics: French onion soup's ingredients remain onion, broth, croutons, and cheese; often dry white wine. And in any edition, the seemingly rustic soup turns out to be delicious in taste: tender, sweetish, with a fragrant ruddy cheese crust on top.

The main secret of French onion soup is long frying of onions. During frying, the sugar contained in the onion heads slowly caramelizes, the color becomes ruddy, and the taste is indescribably “onion”, deep and tender. Dry wine neutralizes the sweetish taste, making it complete. Cheese toasts become soft and tender during serving, turning the soup into a kind of thick cream. Prepare your taste buds for a feast: Onion Soup with Cheese Bread is an absolute treat!

Cooking time: 60-70 minutes.
Yield: 1.5 liters of French onion soup.

Ingredients

• 700 ml meat or vegetable broth
• 350 g onions (4 medium heads)
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 70 g cheese
• 50 g butter
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1 small baguette (or similar bread, such as ciabatta)
• salt, pepper - to taste

Cooking

Peel the onion from the husk and cut into half rings.



Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onion in it over low heat, stirring constantly.



When the onion begins to turn golden, crush two cloves of garlic and send it to the pan.



Saute together for 4-5 minutes, then add flour to the onion. Thanks to the flour, the soup will become more uniform and slightly creamy.



Pour the broth into the onion and mix well so that no lumps of flour remain.



Add wine to soup.



Salt and pepper the soup, cover it with a lid and let it simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cut the baguette into slices 1.5-2 cm thick and toast in the oven or toaster.



Grate cheese on a coarse grater.



Pour the finished onion soup into a heat-resistant dish and place the dried bread on top. It is ideal for onion soup, as it has a dense crumb and large pores, due to which it absorbs liquid well, but at the same time it does not get wet and does not turn into “porridge”. It is similar in consistency.



Lay a thick layer of cheese on top of the croutons.



Place the onion soup under the grill for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.

Serve immediately while the soup is still very hot. Divide soup among bowls, placing cheese on each toast. You can sprinkle the dish on top with chopped green onions. The number of croutons and green onions is strictly to taste. I like thicker.

French Onion Soup Edition: Puree Soup

Not everyone is suitable for a recipe with wine. As for thyme, this is a favorite herb of the French, it is often added to dishes, and soups too. A slightly different ratio of ingredients and a different technology should not confuse. But the lack of garlic will please many. Like a short walkthrough.

Ingredients for 6 bowls:

• 5 onions, cut into thin half rings
• 3 tablespoons fresh butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 liters chicken, beef or vegetable broth
• Bay leaf
• ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 baguette
• a little olive oil (or butter)
• 200 grams grated Gruyère cheese

Cooking method in short:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion in it until transparent.
2. Pour flour into the pan and, stirring, continue to fry the onion and flour until golden brown (not brown).
3. Pour boiling broth into a saucepan, salt, pepper, put bay leaves, thyme and cook the soup for 20-30 minutes (until the onion is completely soft). Then pass the soup through a blender and puree.
5. Cut the bread into slices, arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on top. Put in the oven and keep there until you get croutons. Sprinkle dried bread with grated cheese and leave it on the grill until the cheese is melted.
6. If necessary, reheat the mashed French onion soup, pour it into plates, and before serving, put 1-2 croutons filled with melted cheese into each plate.

The nutritional value of 1 serving is 240 kcal (in meat broth).

When it comes to French soups, the first name that comes to mind is aromatic soupe à l’oignon. This dish is a visiting card of the national cuisine and one of the mandatory menu items for every tourist in the country. That's where we'll start this review.

Onion soup (soupe à l'oignon)

It is unlikely that there will be many lovers of boiled onions, which cannot be said about French onion soup. In France, almost no one can remain indifferent to this treat. Rich beef broth and onions are its main ingredients. Moreover, it is not the broth that gives the unique flavor, but the onion, which is traditionally sautéed in oil for a long time.

In the process of long languor, the onion caramelizes and acquires a beautiful amber hue. It gives this color and incredibly rich aroma to the finished soup. Sometimes in France, for piquancy, alcohol is added to the broth, for example, white wine or. Soup is prepared in small portions and served on the table in the same bowl. Serve the dish with croutons with melted cheese, putting them directly into the pot. This soup is a true classic of French cuisine.

The recipe for onion soup has been known for a long time. At first, it was a traditional dish of the French poor, since onions are one of the cheapest and most affordable products. Over time, the fragrant soup has firmly established itself in restaurant menus. It is said that King Louis XV of France loved soupe à l'oignon, and one of the legends even credits the monarch with the invention of this dish. Although another legend dates its occurrence back to the era of Roman rule.

One of the best onion soups in Paris can be enjoyed for €9 at Les Philosophes (28 rue Vieille du Temple). Restaurant Flottes (2 rue Cambon) offers at least tasty dish, and here a portion of soup costs 11.40 €.

In addition to the classic onion soup, in France they prepare an exquisite soup-puree vichyssoise (vichyssoise). As ingredients for it, potatoes can be used and, of course, several different varieties of onions, which are stewed in chicken broth, and then whipped to a puree state along with cream. Unlike the traditional onion soup, Vichyssoise is eaten cold and is said to be especially good in the heat of summer. Sometimes crackers are added to it and served with shrimp salad with fennel.

bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse, or Marseille fish soup, is nothing more than a Mediterranean-style French fish soup. There are a lot of recipes in the country. Even in the homeland of bouillabaisse, in Marseille, where it is prepared in all restaurants and cafes, it is unlikely that you will be able to find two absolutely identical options. The basis of the soup is an incredibly rich broth, which in France is traditionally brewed from several varieties of fish.

The second main component of bouillabaisse is fried and stewed vegetables, which are present in it in large quantities. When cooking, spices are necessarily added: saffron and star anise. They give it a very strong taste. fish soup characteristic light anise aroma. Served with croutons and garlic sauce"rui", which is smeared on them.

Bouillabaisse was originally a cheap soup made by the fishermen of Marseilles from salmon fish. Today in France, this fish soup is prepared either only from fish, or from fish with the addition of shrimp, lobster, mussels and other seafood. Depending on this, a serving of soup in can cost from 10-15 € to 150-200 €.

Magnificent bouillabaisse is served in the fish restaurant Vin et Marée Saint Honoré (165 rue Saint Honore), which is located in the very center of Paris, not far from the Louvre.

Pumpkin soup (soupe à la citrouille)

This is one of the most beloved soups in France, and not only vegetarians like it. It is prepared mainly in autumn and winter. There are many different recipes, but the main ingredients are the same: pumpkin, vegetables, cream and spices. The dish has a pleasant aroma and a delicate uniform texture, because pumpkin soup- It's soup.

In the small southern town of Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, not far from Nice, the Pumpkin Festival is held annually in October. On this day, the roots of which go back centuries, the city turns into a real "pumpkin" capital of France. Farmers from all over the area bring their crops, and in the central square, chefs prepare a variety of dishes from bright vegetables. The highlight of the program every year is pumpkin soup, which is traditionally served in a huge pumpkin. During the holiday, guests eat 900 liters of fragrant treats!

In the French capital, delicious pumpkin soup is served at Le Chamarre de Montmartre (52 rue Lamarck), while La Ferrandaise (8 rue de Vaugirard) offers signature pumpkin soup with chestnuts.

Cheese soup (soupe au fromage)

Another traditional French soup is cheese. It is France that is the birthplace of the dish, which today has become popular far beyond the borders of the country. The soup is prepared with chicken broth with vegetables and cheese. Despite its apparent simplicity, it can be found on the menu of many restaurants.

French soup is prepared with both hard and melted cheese, and each chef boasts his own original recipe: with mushrooms, chicken, fish, seafood, vegetables, meatballs, white wine. Try the soup prepared traditional recipe, you can in the Parisian cheese restaurant L’Affineur’ Affiné (51 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette) for 6.50 €.

Interestingly, in France it is not customary to eat soups during lunch. Usually they are an "evening" treat, and they are served for dinner.

The national cuisine of the country is characterized by both thick soups and rich broths - consommé. popular tomato soup, bread panade (panade) and an unusual potage melon soup (potage de melon). These dishes are definitely worth a try during a trip to France.

A real French soup is a very simple dish! There are quite a few cooking variations: you have chosen 7 interesting recipes for you.

• chicken bouillon— 500 ml
• butter - 60 gr
• hard cheese - 100 gr
• onion - 5 pcs
• mini baguette - 1 pc
• dry thyme - 10 gr

Sprinkle the croutons with cheese. We put in an oven preheated to 200 ° C, here it is important to simply melt the cheese. Usually, it takes 3 minutes. When the cheese is melted, you can safely serve the onion soup to the table. Bon appetit!

Recipe 2: French Onion Soup with White Wine

• 600 g onion
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 4 garlic cloves
• 150 g hard or semi-hard cheese
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 70 g butter
• 1 liter chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Ground black pepper
• Baguette

Melt the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, throw the cubes of butter into it, the fire is small.

We cut the garlic into petals, the onion into thin rings or half rings, put it all in oil, sprinkle with sugar and caramelize it all for 7-10 minutes. strong fire to a tanned color, stirring occasionally.

Now reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour in the wine and hot chicken broth, salt and pepper, bring to a boil and leave on low heat for about an hour with the lid open, let it boil slowly.

We make croutons: cut the baguette into circles 15 mm thick, rub with a clove of garlic, put on a dry baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with olive oil and put in the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

Pour the finished onion soup into portioned pots or refractory bowls, put a piece or two of toast, sprinkle generously with finely grated cheese on top and put it in the oven for several minutes at 170 or 180 degrees, until the cheese is well melted. Alternatively, the oven can be replaced with a microwave. French onion soup is ready!

Recipe 3: French Red Onion Soup (Step by Step Photos)

• red onion - 750 gr
• leek - 250 gr
• dry white wine - 250 ml
• garlic - 2 cloves
• butter - 40 gr
• vegetable oil - 30 ml
• thyme - 2-3 sprigs
• bay leaf - 1 pc.
• cheese - 100 gr
• salt pepper

We clean from the husk and finely chop 750 g of red onion.

We cut the leek stalks into thin strips.

Crush a couple of garlic cloves with the side of a knife.

Then we chop them finely.

Pick the thyme leaves by hand.

Pour 30 ml of vegetable oil into a saucepan.

Mix it with 40 g of butter.

First, fry the red onion in a mixture of oils.

Then add leeks to it.

Stirring regularly, fry both types of onions over low heat for about half an hour until they are reddened and the caramelization process begins.

At this point, add chopped garlic.

Add thyme.

And pour a glass of dry white wine.

Next, we send 2 liters of beef or chicken broth to the saucepan.

I'm waiting for the boil.

After the onion soup boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover the saucepan with a lid and continue boiling for another 25 minutes.

Then portionwise pour the soup into refractory containers for serving.

Place 2 baguette toasts on top of each.

Sprinkle them with finely grated cheese.

Put the soup in the oven on medium heat. We bake the dish until a golden crust appears on the cheese.

After that, we take the French onion soup out of the oven and serve it to the table.

Recipe 4: French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese

• unsalted butter - 3 tbsp. spoons
• large yellow onions - 6 Pieces (about 1.8 kg)
• salt - 1 to taste
• water - 2 cups (plus water for onions)
• dry sherry - ½ cup
• chicken broth - 4 cups
• meat broth - 2 cups
• sprigs of fresh thyme - 6 Pieces
• bay leaf - 1 piece
• ground black pepper - 1 to taste
• small baguette - 1 piece
• Gruyère cheese - 240 grams (about 2 ½ cups)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Spray a large saucepan with oil. Cut the onion into slices about 6 mm thick. Add butter, onion and 1 teaspoon salt to the pan. Cook in oven, covered, 1 hour. The onion will shrink slightly. Remove the pan from the oven, stir in the onions. Return to the pot in the oven, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and continue cooking until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours, stirring the onions after 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the oven and place over high heat. Cook the onion, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated and the onion is brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if the onion is browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the bottom of the pan is dark brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir the onion with ¼ cup water and cook until the water has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat adding water 2 or 3 times until the onion is very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring, until the sherry has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add stocks, 2 cups water, thyme sprigs tied with kitchen twine, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper.

Baguette cut into slices. While the soup is simmering, arrange the baguette pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees in the oven until the bread is crispy and golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Fill each bowl with 1 ¾ cups of soup. Top with 1 or 2 slices of baguette and sprinkle with evenly grated Gruyere cheese. Bake in oven until cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe 5: French Onion Soup on the Water (Step by Step with Photo)

• Onions - 800 g. It is better to take white or yellow onions. Red is absolutely not suitable for this soup!
• Celery stalks - a couple pieces, about 50 g
• Olive oil - 3 tablespoons.
• Water or vegetable broth - 1 liter.
• Dried thyme - 0.5-1 teaspoon.
• Flour - 2 tablespoons.
• Salt and pepper to taste. I need 1 teaspoon of salt for the indicated amount of food.

For serving, you will need cheese and a French baguette (or just bread). The baguette can be taken both white and rye.

• Cheese should be taken of hard varieties, a piece weighing about 200 g.

Peel the onion, cut each onion into quarters. Finely chop the onion.

Thinly slice the celery stalks.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and celery to it. Stir and leave to cook over medium or low heat for half an hour to an hour. At the same time, be sure to periodically stir the onion so that it cooks evenly. The finished onion should greatly decrease in volume and acquire a golden hue.

Add flour to the cauldron, mix with onions. The flour will serve as an additional thickener for the soup.

Add thyme. Pour the onion with water or broth, bring the soup to a boil. Cook uncovered for another 15-20 minutes.

Only then can the soup be salted and peppered. If you do this too soon, you run the risk of oversalting the soup as it boils down during the cooking process.

Cut the baguette into slices and dry in the oven or air grill to make the bread crispy.

If desired, slices of dried bread can be grated with garlic cloves.

Only the finishing touch left!

Pour onion soup into heat-resistant molds.

Lay a piece of baguette on top.

Sprinkle generously with cheese.

We put this miracle to bake in the oven or air grill at a temperature of 180 degrees C. Not for long, for 2-3 minutes. We need the cheese to melt.

Ready! Serve the soup immediately hot, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Recipe 6: French Onion Soup with Cognac

• 1 kg onion, cut into half rings
• 50 gr butter
• 1 tbsp Sahara
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp flour
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 1.5 liters chicken or beef broth
• 50 ml cognac
• ground black pepper

For submission:

• 4 slices of puffed bread
• 100 gr semi-hard cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Add onion, salt and sugar. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Sprinkle the onion with flour and fry for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Pour in the wine and bring everything together to a boil over medium heat, cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated.

Pour in the broth, mix well, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover loosely with a lid, cook the soup for 40-50 minutes. The onion should be well boiled, the soup should thicken a little, and its taste should be concentrated. Pour in brandy, bring back to a boil and remove from heat.

Prepare croutons for serving. To do this, preheat the oven to 180 ᵒС. Put the bread on a baking sheet in one layer, and generously put grated cheese on the bread.

Place the baking sheet with the bread in the oven and bake until the cheese begins to brown.

Serve hot onion soup, generously seasoned with black, freshly ground pepper, putting a toast with cheese in each plate.

Recipe 7: Simple French Onion Soup (with photo)

• onion - 2 pcs
• butter - 30 gr
• cheese - 30 gr
• bread - 1 slice
• flour - 1 tsp
• ground black pepper
• water - 150 ml

Peel the onions, rinse them in water and cut into medium cubes. Melt the butter in a saucepan or cauldron by placing the container on the stove. Add the onion slices to the oil and sauté until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes. Be sure to watch the color of the fried slices and do not forget to mix it.

As soon as the onion slices are browned, add salt, ground black pepper, water and wheat flour. Gently mix everything and then simmer on fire for about 10 minutes. Instead of water, you can use any broth: vegetable, chicken, meat, fish - if you have it available. While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 200C.

Grate hard cheese with small cells.

Soups of French cuisine from soups of other European national cuisines, where saturation is considered the main advantage, are distinguished by their lightness. Therefore, the French prefer to use them not for lunch, but for dinner. Often, meat broth is replaced with vegetable broth, after slightly stewing vegetables or root vegetables in a saucepan with butter or olive oil. With all the variety, French soups can be conditionally divided into two types: cream soups and consommé.

There are two funny legends about how French soups appeared. Allegedly, noble ladies at the court of Louis XI were afraid of the appearance of wrinkles, which could be caused by chewing food. Trying to please them, the chefs decided to grind the ingredients of the soup and thus invented the puree soup. According to another legend, consommé was invented by the court culinary specialists of Louis XIV. The famous "Sun King" wanted to see his reflection in a bowl of soup. The desire of the monarch is the law, a clear soup was revealed to him (and the world).

Iconic French Soups

Many soups of French cuisine have similar recipes, with similar dishes in other European countries. For example Consomme Celestine with pancake shavings. In Germany, such a soup is called Pfannkuchensuppe, in Austria - Frittatensuppe, the Italians know it as Brodo con tagliolini di crespelle, Hungary calls it palacsintatésztaleves, and in the Czech Republic the rather long name hovězí polévka s celestýnskými nudlemi has taken root, in Switzerland they cook Flädlessuppe. Visitors to the Russian portal in France RUSS en FRANСE know that they also prepare a similar dish called “noodles” in their homeland.

Onion soup French cuisine is considered one of its symbols. Its authorship is attributed to Louis XV. They say that once spending the night in a hunting lodge, the monarch was unpleasantly surprised that there was practically nothing to eat. All that we managed to scrape together “by the bottom of the barrel” is an onion, oil and some champignons. From these simple products, the king prepared himself a completely original soup, which he liked so much that his Majesty recommended the dish to his cooks, thereby contributing to the page called "soups of French cuisine". Now the basis for onion soups are clear broths: chicken, beef or vegetable. Often, in order for the soup to get a special taste, dry white wine is added to it, however, such a recipe involves aging the dish for several hours. Well, since we are still talking about France, where the cult of cheese takes place, many onion soup recipes include one or another.