Secrets of the Best Chefs

French Onion Soup

Serves 4

Accuse me of hyperbolizing, I don’t care. This is the French onion

soup of your dreams, the one you fantasize about slurping in your

Parisian fantasy where, on a cold winter’s day, you stumble into a

bistro and warm up over a bowl of soupe à l’oignon. What makes

it so good? It all comes down to the rich and flavorful meat stock.

Make sure, at the end, to pump up the flavor with the balsamic

and Tabasco before ladling it into the bowls. It pays to make a lot:

this soup goes fast.

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

6 to 8 onions, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons

Kosher salt

6 cups Beast Stock

Tabasco sauce

30-year-aged balsamic vinegar or the best balsamic you have

4 slices toasted ciabatta bread or French bread (toast on a

grill or under a broiler)

1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt the butter on high heat and

then add all the onions. Add a light sprinkling of salt and stir,

coating the onions, and allow them to cook until they start to