Steakhouse French Onion Soup Au Gratin

Name: Steakhouse French Onion Soup Au Gratin
Cuisine: American Steakhouse
Ingredients: 4 large yellow onions; 1 large sweet onion; 6 tbsp unsalted European butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 3 med garlic cloves; 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 2 med dried bay leaves; 1/2 cup dry Sherry; 2 tbsp Cognac; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 4 cup beef bone broth; 4 cup chicken bone broth; 1/4 oz unflavored gelatin; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 4 large rustic sourdough slices; 1 med raw garlic clove; 8 oz aged Gruyère cheese; 4 oz aged Provolone cheese; 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano

Soupe à l'oignon gratinée·(soop ah loh-nyon grah-tee-nay)

Chapter 1: Starters & Salads

Before the tableside spoon-basting of the dry-aged porterhouse begins, the meal requires an overture. In the hallowed, wood-paneled dining rooms of New York's finest chophouses, that overture is a crock of impossibly dark, sweet onion soup, armored in a blistered, impenetrable crust of melted cheese. It bridges the slow, quiet patience of a Parisian brasserie with the unapologetic, veal-stock-heavy decadence of an American institution.

Ingredients

yellow onions4 large
sweet onion1 large
unsalted European butter6 tbsp
olive oil1 tbsp
kosher salt1 tsp
black pepper1/2 tsp
garlic cloves3 med
fresh thyme leaves1 tbsp
dried bay leaves2 med
dry Sherry1/2 cup
Cognac2 tbsp
all-purpose flour2 tbsp
beef bone broth4 cup
chicken bone broth4 cup
unflavored gelatin1/4 oz
Worcestershire sauce1 tbsp
rustic sourdough slices4 large
raw garlic clove1 med
aged Gruyère cheese8 oz
aged Provolone cheese4 oz
Parmigiano-Reggiano2 oz

Method

01
Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat.
02
Toss the sliced onions and kosher salt in the fat, cover tightly, and sweat for ten minutes.
Trapping the steam forces the onions to release their cellular water, significantly reducing their volume as they collapse.
03
Remove the lid, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook the onions for 45 to 60 minutes.
Patience is everything here. Stir every five minutes, scraping the sticky sugars from the fond, until the onions reduce to a jammy, deeply mahogany paste.
04
Push the caramelized onions to the perimeter and sauté the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves in the center for sixty seconds.
05
Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and cook for three minutes.
Stir constantly to cook out the raw flour taste and toast the starches.
06
Increase the heat to medium-high and aggressively deglaze with the dry Sherry.
As it hisses and boils, scrape every remaining bit of fond from the bottom until the Sherry has almost completely evaporated.
07
Pour in the beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bloomed gelatin.
The combination of chicken bone broth and bloomed gelatin perfectly mimics the mouthfeel of the 48-hour veal stock used in high-end steakhouses.
08
Bring the soup to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes.
09
Remove the pot from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and stir in the Cognac.
Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional kosher salt and heavy black pepper.
10
Preheat the broiler to its highest setting and arrange a rack six inches from the heat source.
11
Brush the sourdough slices with melted butter, toast them in a cast-iron skillet, and aggressively rub the edges with the raw garlic.
12
Ladle the hot soup into four oven-safe crocks and float a piece of garlic toast in each.
13
Mound the Gruyère, Provolone, and Parmigiano-Reggiano heavily over the toast, deliberately allowing it to spill over the sides.
This spillage burns onto the outside of the crock under the broiler, creating the signature, rustic steakhouse aesthetic.
14
Broil for three to five minutes until the cheese is violently bubbling and blistered with deep brown spots.
Watch it like a hawk. Serve immediately, warning your guests that the crocks are dangerously hot.

Notes

The Gelatin Hack
Elite steakhouses rely on veal or oxtail to provide a highly gelatinous, lip-coating mouthfeel. Fortifying standard store-bought bone broth with a packet of unflavored gelatin achieves the exact same luxurious texture without a 48-hour simmer.
The Cheese Architecture
Do not rely exclusively on Gruyère. While Gruyère brings the nutty melt, Provolone introduces the necessary stretch, and Parmigiano-Reggiano adds a critical layer of glutamate-rich umami to the crust.
Setting the Rhythm
Serve this exactly as it's meant to be consumed: alongside a freezing cold, three-to-one gin martini garnished with an odd number of Castelvetrano olives. A two-olive martini is an aesthetic and superstitious failure.

From Cook Steakhouse Food at Home.

Steakhouse French Onion Soup Au Gratin

Ingredients

Method

Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat.

Toss the sliced onions and kosher salt in the fat, cover tightly, and sweat for ten minutes.

Remove the lid, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook the onions for 45 to 60 minutes.

Push the caramelized onions to the perimeter and sauté the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves in the center for sixty seconds.

Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture and cook for three minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and aggressively deglaze with the dry Sherry.

Pour in the beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bloomed gelatin.

Bring the soup to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and stir in the Cognac.

Preheat the broiler to its highest setting and arrange a rack six inches from the heat source.

Brush the sourdough slices with melted butter, toast them in a cast-iron skillet, and aggressively rub the edges with the raw garlic.

Ladle the hot soup into four oven-safe crocks and float a piece of garlic toast in each.

Mound the Gruyère, Provolone, and Parmigiano-Reggiano heavily over the toast, deliberately allowing it to spill over the sides.

Broil for three to five minutes until the cheese is violently bubbling and blistered with deep brown spots.

Notes

The Gelatin Hack

The Cheese Architecture

Setting the Rhythm