Preparation
- Cut or slice the onions into fine rings. If you want the soup easier to spoon, halve or quarter them first.
- Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onions for about 15 minutes, until plenty of juice has come out and they are soft and golden.
- Dust with flour, add the sugar, salt, pepper and garlic and stir thoroughly. Pour in first the wine, then the stock bit by bit, add the bay leaf and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid slightly open. Taste and remove the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the bread slices until crisp and brown. Preheat the oven grill.
- Fill ovenproof bowls with the soup, lay the bread slices on top and sprinkle with Gruyère and paprika.
- Gratinée the bowls on the top shelf under the grill until golden brown and serve at once.
Drink with it
White wine · excellent match
Dry Alsace Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Chablis
Acidity cuts through the cheese crust and the buttered bread, and the white wine in the stock builds the bridge to the glass.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosingRed wine · good match
Beaujolais, lightly chilled
Juicy, low-tannin fruit and freshness suit the sweet onion without fighting the Gruyère.
Fortified wine · good match
Dry Amontillado, lightly chilled
Nut and caramel notes mirror the browned onions and the Gruyère.
Port wine: understanding Ruby, Tawny, and VintageDark beer · good match
Munich Dunkel, cool
Malt sweetness and roasted note pick up onion sweetness and toasted bread, and the carbonation loosens the cheese.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecueJunmai sake · good match
Junmai, warm (about 40 °C)
Umami and warmth of the junmai meet the stock, and the rice note stays calm beside the cheese.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Why it pairs well
Warm junmai with a French soup is a surprise, but it carries the umami of the stock.