Updated Classics: French Onion Soup

By Susan Able with Chef Ed Scarpone, photography by Jennifer Chase

In our Winter Issue, we asked three chefs to share with us updated takes on some tried-and-true crowd pleaser classics.

The wintry weather is perfect to try this French Onion Soup from Chef Ed Scarpone, culinary director, Schlow Restaurant Group. He told me about his take on this iconic soup.

“The perfect pairing for my Coq Au Vin would be this French Onion Soup. This version is a classic French onion soup, with one change that speaks to my New England roots: sherry. I remember eating chowder with my dad at the Old Griswold Inn in Essex, CT, and there was always a bottle of sherry on the table for the chowder. If you add sherry before serving, it lightens it up. I refer to it as “raw sherry” because adding it at the end means the alcohol isn’t cooked out. And I love using Fino sherry. I live by the adage that if you cook with wine, you should also want to drink it.”

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound butter

5 medium white onions, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic chopped 

6 sprigs thyme

4 ounces dry Riesling wine

4 ounces brandy

6 quarts unsalted beef broth (Honestly, store-bought is fine.)

5 ounces Fino sherry

1 baguette sliced into 1-inch pieces 

Lots of sliced Swiss cheese

Salt and pepper

To make:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a pot, melt 1 pound of butter. Add the onions, garlic and thyme to caramelize onions.

Cook on medium heat, stirring every 5 minutes for an hour (Yes, an hour—when you think they are caramelized enough, caramelize them some more.) Once the onions are dark brown and nearly melting, add Riesling and brandy and cook for 5 minutes to cook the alcohol off.

Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour at a low simmer. While it cooks, toast the baguette slices in oven on each side for 2 minutes each, just to slightly dry them out.

Turn the heat off and add the sherry. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into crocks and place 1 piece of toasted baguette in each crock. Top with as much Swiss cheese as you can and place the crock in oven to toast the top of the cheese, approximately 8 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and enjoy.

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@edscarpone

Chef Ed Scarpone is culinary director of the Schlow Restaurant Group in DC.

Photo by Jennifer Chase.