French Onion Soup -Where am I going wrong?

[Mikejas]

I recently found what I thought was a simple recipe for onion soup - there were very few ingredients and the instructions seemed easy. I sliced the onions thinly and sauteed them in olive oil. The actual quantities were not very precise - 4 brown onions and olive oil. I was supposed to saute the onion until they were brown but after 25/30 minutes I seemed to be geting nowhere except for a little bit of burning on some of the edges. I kept on going and the soup tasted ok but I couldn't get the colour right. What am I doing wrong?

[puddicat]

Personally i would have had half butter and half oil,and the pan should be quite hot when you put in the onions,also maybe half a teaspoon of sugar that helps caramelise them,stir constantly till start to brown watching you dont burn them,turn down heat slightly should take about 6 to 10minutes to brown.Bon Appetite!!!

[chelle7272]

\yep, i always add butter for colour :)

[pbeach]

Not maybe half a teaspoon of sugar - but definitely :-)

[Ethel]

French onion soup is usually made with beef stock or broth which helps colour it.

I agree about the butter and sugar to caramelise the onions and garlic, but mine generally take at least 20 mins from the time I put the onions in the pan, sometimes a bit longer to get that sticky caramel in the bottom of the pan.

Add the stock, a bit of white wine and some brandy, give it a good stir , and it will be a fabby soup after about an hour. I serve it in a bowl over a slice or two of baguette that is covered in gruyere cheese, or I crack one egg per person in to the soup a few minutes before serving.

[Mikejas]

Thanks everyone. Didn't think about the butter and sugar but I did think about the beef stock but I thought this was perhaps something other than the classic onion soup. Now I know better