Community Pick
Famous Barr's French Onion Soup
"One of St. Louis's favorite soup recipes was recently printed in the Post-Dispatch. I remember going to St. Louis when I was young and my family going into the department store's restaurant for this famous soup. Enjoy! Famous-Barr's French Onion Soup"
photo by DianaEatingRichly
- Ready In:
- 4hrs 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
4 quarts
- Serves:
- 16
ingredients
- 5 lbs onions, unpeeled
- 1⁄2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 (16 ounce) cans beef broth, divided (recommended Swanson's)
- 1 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour (such as Wondra) or 3/4 cup instant flour (such as Wondra)
- caramel coloring (optional) or Kitchen Bouquet (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- French baguette (optional)
- swiss cheese (optional) or gruyere cheese (optional)
directions
- Peel onions and slice 1/8 inch thick, preferably in a food processor.
- Melt butter in a 6-quart (or larger) stockpot. Add onions; cook, uncovered, over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- (The long cooking time makes the onions mellow and sweet.) Stir in pepper, paprika and bay leaf; saute over low heat 10 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Pour in 6 cans broth and wine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
- Dissolve flour in remaining 1 can broth.
- Stir into boiling soup.
- Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
- Adjust color to a rich brown with caramel coloring, season with salt. Refrigerate overnight. To serve, heat soup in microwave or on stove top.
- If desired, pour into ovenproof crocks or bowls.
- Top with a slice of bread and a sprinkling of grated cheese. Heat under the broiler until cheese melts and bubbles, about 5 minutes.
- Leftover soup can be frozen.
Questions & Replies
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Do I simmer the soup for 2 hours covered or uncovered? -
Ingredients call for unpeeled onions. First item in directions is to peel onions. Why does it call for unpeeled onions? -
How do I cut the size down to 4 people
Reviews
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I have been making this soup for over 20 years and have never found another recipe that even comes close. It is time consuming but the results are amazing. The only thing that I do differently is, instead of mixing the flour with a can of broth, I add the flour to the paprika, salt and papper and make a roux by adding the mix to the tenderized onions. You need to stir constantly because you don't want the mixture to scorch or brown, but you do want to cook it long enough to get the flour taste to disappear. The roux takes about 10-20 minutes of stirring to get all the flour incorporated with the onion liquid. After the roux is ready, slowly start adding your liquid, stirring all the time. The result is a smooth, rich texture. No lumps and no flour taste. If it is too thick for your liking, add another can of broth.<br/><br/>If you're really ambitious...make your own stock! You will notice the difference. No "can" taste, more flavor and healthier too! Enjoy!
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I finally got around to making this and kick myself for not doing so sooner. This is just a fabulous French Onion soup. The only "drawback" is processing the onions. Believe it or not, I put on swim goggles processing them!!! Maybe I just had extra potent onions??? But once that was done the rest was just a matter of time and the results were outstanding. I have several frozen lumps of French Onion soup to enjoy for some time to come (like tonight). Thank you for posting this one Bill. I usually don't say I'll do this one again but. . . . I'll do this one again. -
The French Onion soup recipe is one of the most popular dish served at the Famous Barr (also part of the May Dept store group) restaurants found in St.Louis. Based on my travels to the various countries including Europe, Asia and US, this version of French Onion soup is one of the best I've had. My husband who is from London just loves this recipe. It is robust and hearty in beef and onion flavour and quite thick so you can enjoy this as a meal in itself (you might say it's great comfort food). Be sure to use the broiler until the cheese bubbles and turns golden brown over the French bread. Tip: Try to use the fresh French bread which is a bit chewy in texture. Bon Appetit.
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I had the time so cooked the onions for about three hours before adding broth. Very nice flavor and appearance. Will make this my new standard recipe. Thank you! -
I recently lost my Momma. I have some very precious memories of feeling like we had won the lottery, simply because we ate french onion soup at Famous Bar. The last time will never forgeten, we went to Famous Bar far a facial and french onion soup and even the exact makeup that was used during the facial. Thank you Momma for creating such an amazing forever memory! The kind of memory that absolutely no one other than the 2 of us can understand. I luv and miss ya like crazy! THANK YOU FAMOUS BAR!!!!!!! -
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Tweaks
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Mine is the same except I use Sherry instead of white wine. It is mellower and adds a lovely taste and very slight sweetness that balances out the flavors.
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This isn`t a tweak. Scrap your recipe. Try the greatest Onion soup Au Gratin ever...…..Five ingredients..... One large onion sliced and diced. Into a soup pot with enough oil to fry the onions until clear. Add four cups of water. Add one package of any onion soup mix. Bring to a boil. Add enough skim milk until it turns a beige color. Slice a ciabatta roll in half giving you a top crust and a bottom crust. Take either crust and squeeze it into an onion soup bowl. Cover it with about a quarter inch layer of Jarlsberg cheese. Ladle in the onion soup to just below the top of the bowl. Cover with another layer of Jarlsberg cheese. Put the bowls into a 375 degree oven, on a tray......it will boil over a bit. Let it bake until the top cheese layer browns. Serve to the luckiest guests ever. Llove and Huggs Gerry -
will be cutting this recipe more than half. so delish!
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Better than Bouillon instead of stock.
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This was excellent soup. Totally forgot to take a pic of it though. But I will next time I have it. I used sweet vidalia onions. I also had put in about 2 Tbs. of Worchestire sauce instead of Kitchen Bouquet and did not put any salt in it. I did use the wine but I think I would like to try sherry the next time. I find it adds a little different taste. The house smells so good when this is simmering. I chose to go with gruyere cheese. Personally I find this is the perfect cheese for this soup. Delicious flavor of sweet onions and a fantastic broth. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe Bill it was much appreciated.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Bill Hilbrich
Saint Cloud, Minnesota
Some of you know me as Brother William. No, I am not really a Monk, but I have grown to enjoy my simple and solo lifestyle. My love for humanity is based on fellowship rather than sensuality.
I PROMISE that I will never share a recipe unless I have tasted the food. Most of the recipes are mine, but I have included a few classics, and some recipes that were written by very creative people, that are just so good that I had to share. From time to time I have found recipes with my name on them in print magazines, but they are always altered in some way by the publisher. So there is no reason why you should not add your own personal touch. If you leave this page with just one thought, I hope that it would be that Cooking is a Creative Sport.
I grew up in Glenview Illinois, just north of Chicago. My Mother loved those little exotic cookbooks, that were sold as a weekly series in grocery stores in the 1950's. I was taught to eat whatever was put on my plate so I ate food from a different culture every week. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Mediterranean. After leaving my Mother's table, I have lived and enjoyed eating in Colorado, Missouri, Montana and Nebraska, before settling in Saint Cloud, Minnesota in 1975.
After a 30 year marriage with mixed reviews, I am now pleasantly single again, and plan to stay that way. Up until recently, I had occupied my evenings just talking with people and sometimes sharing recipes, while soliciting donations for Non-Profit Organizations. Yes .. that's right, for over 20 years, I was a Telemarketer. The perfect job for a Taurus.
I enjoy reading cook books the same way most people read novels,and I am still improving my skills in the art of Solo Cooking. However; my true passion will always be sharing my favorite recipes with all of you.
