Famous Barr’s French Onion Soup

Famous Barr’s French Onion Soup is a historic recipe from the middle to late 1900s. While a bowl of onions doesn’t really inspire the mouth to water, cooked in this recipe they transform into a sweet, hearty soup that will please even picky eaters. Even those with an aversion to onions will beg for more.

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Wait… Famous Barr Had Soup?

Apparently, this was a pretty big deal. French onion soup is an old French recipe, but Americans’ found it in the 1960s and it blew up. Everyone had a recipe for it, and department stores had soup kiosks where you could get a bowl and shop with it. It sounds bizarre, but remember that shopping used to be an experience. The recipes changed regionally, and St. Louis had their own unique twist on it, mainly involving butter. Check out this local chef interview for a recounting of the glory of Famous Barr’s soup.

Ingredients & Equipment

Ingredients

• Onions: Bigger is better in this recipe to reduce the amount of peeling and slicing needed. I buy 3-4 sweet onions for this recipe and add in yellow onions if needed.
• White Wine or Champagne: Adding a sweet wine or champagne to the onions while they cook adds a layer of flavor to everything. Since we don’t usually drink white wine, it’s a good way to use it up.
• Beef stock: Traditionally, beef stock is used to make french onion soup. I don’t make a lot of beef soups so this is a lovely change of pace.
• Paprika: Regular, smoked, or Hungarian. The end flavor and color of the soup is determined heavily by which paprika you use. Smoked paprika is my go-to since it adds flavor but not spice.
• Butter & Flour: This addition makes a nice roux to add body to the soup. I always recommend Kerrygold Irish butter for its flavor and natural softness.

Equipment needed for French Onion Soup

• Stock Pot: You will need a big stockpot for this recipe, or a dutch oven. I have a big 8 qt. Calphalon Stock Pot and it’s amazing for making big soups. Our 7 qt. Dutch Oven would also work for this and fits nicely over the middle griddle burner of our oven.
• Cutting Board: A big quality cutting board is a great tool for any kitchen. A cutting board big enough to accommodate slicing a whole bunch of onion with ease would be ideal.
• Chef’s Knife: If you haven’t invested in a nice knife yet, I suggest making it your next purchase. Working with a dull knife is the fastest way to cut yourself. That and the frustration of struggling to cut simple vegetables is enough for me to justify an upgrade. I have been working with my Calphalon Knife Set for years, and they are still going strong.

Preparation

Making the French Onion Soup

This recipe is super simple but it does take some time to cook so give yourself plenty of time. Don’t rush.

1. Peel and Slice your onions thin. I peel them, halve them, and then cut them horizontally, creating what my daughter called “onion rainbows.” This gives nice long onion-like noodles for the soup.
2. Melt your butter (3/4 stick) over medium heat in your stockpot or dutch oven. Once melted, add the onions and cook them until softened about 15 minutes. Add your wine of choice and allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes. This step feels like forever, but while you’re waiting you can measure out the spices. I made a nice Soda Bread to go with it, which turned out beautiful.
3. At 20 minutes, add your flour, paprika, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Give it a good stir until properly combined. Don’t forget the flour in this step. If you add it once the liquid is added, it can clump and create tiny biscuits in your soup. It doesn’t ruin the soup, but it’ll thicken better this way.
4. Stir in your liquid of choice and stir to combine. This will look a lot like the soup you’re going to eat. Simmer it for 30 minutes to condense it down and taste it. Salt to taste, otherwise onto the broiler.
5. For the classic dish, place a toasted slice of bread on top, followed by a sprinkle or slice of gruyere, emantaller, or swiss cheese. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes to bake the cheese. Watch closely so you don’t burn it.
6. Serve hot with more bread for dipping. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of alcohol goes in French Onion Soup?

My recipe uses white wine or leftover champagne. By leftover, I don’t mean soured, don’t use it if it has gone to vinegar. A cooking sherry could also be used, but I prefer the extra sugar in the wine to add some sweetness.

What should I serve with French Onion Soup?

Usually, this soup is served with bread on top, covered in cheese. Mine doesn’t include it, due to the fact I am serving it to children and it would be a disastrous mess. However, I always serve most soups with some sort of bread. Traditional French bread, soda bread, biscuits, or straight-up white bread; anything to soak up the juices makes for a spectacular addition to this meal.

If you’re not serving children or don’t mind a mess. Place a slice of bread on top of the soup before the cheese and broil everything. It makes all the difference, but I didn’t want the mess of serving it to my 2-year-old.

What’s the difference between French onion soup and English onion soup?

Here are some differences between the soups, according to Megan Scott at Mashed.com:

• French Onion Soup uses red/yellow onions. English Onion Soup uses as many onion types as possible.
• French uses beef stock or broth while English can call for any type of stock or broth.
• French uses wine, sherry, or cognac for flavor, while English sometimes uses Worcestershire.
• Thyme for French onion soup, Sage for English Onion Soup.
• Gruyere or Swiss for French Onion Soup, Cheddar for English Onion Soup.

What can I use instead of Gruyere in French Onion Soup?

Emmantale is similar to Gruyere and can be substituted. Swiss cheese is similar in flavor as well and can be substituted for an economical option. (Cheese gets pricey!)

Why is my French Onion Soup bitter?

There are a few issues that can lead to a bitter soup:

• Wrong onions: Sweet onions and yellow onions cook up the sweetest, using another type could lead to off-flavors.
• Burnt Onions: Cooking onions over too high of heat produce bitter off-flavors from the “brown bits.”
• Burnt Butter: Again, too high of heat can lead to burnt milk solids from the butter.
• Bad wine/sherry: If you added a spoiled wine or alcohol, then you may have found the culprit. Take a sip before adding it to the food to make sure it’s still tasty.

How can I reheat French Onion Soup?

You can either reheat it as one big batch on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. For a single serving, microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between. For the last 30 seconds, add the bread and cheese. Not quite broiled, but absorbent and melted is almost as good.

Can I freeze French Onion Soup?

This soup freezes well but leave an inch of headspace in your container. There is a lot of water in this soup and it expands readily.

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