French Onion Soup Quick And Delicious

Beef broth or chicken broth? That is the question.

When it comes to French onion soup, most cooks would consider it heresy to use chicken broth. Thirty years ago, when Americans started making French food (thanks to Julia Child), beef broth was the only way to go.

What a surprise, then, to discover that the most renowned onion soup in Paris is made with chicken broth. The soup at Pied de Cochon, an allnight brasserie in the Les Halles food market area, is made with sliced onions slow-roasted in butter and white wine and ladled into chubby crocks with steaming chicken broth.

But you don’t have to hop on a jet to sample it. Patricia Wells coaxed the recipe from the owners for her 1989 book, “Bistro Cooking.”

Those who have sweated over the stove on a snowy day, making beef broth from scratch and sauteing onions, will be amazed at how easy Pied de Cochon’s version is.

The onion slices are braised in the oven, with no stirring or fussing. Wine and butter are absorbed by the onions as they bake, making them sweet and silky.

Chicken broth is heated separately from the onions. When ready to serve, the onion mixture is spooned into crocks and the broth ladled on top. Each portion is topped with a thick slice of toasted French bread and a mound of shredded Gruyere cheese (a nuttytasting Swiss), and broiled until the cheese melts. If you can’t find Gruyere, Jarlsberg or baby Swiss are good substitutes.

French Onion Soup

1 pound white onions, sliced thin

2 cups dry white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 cups chicken broth

6 (1/2-inch-thick) slices crusty baguette, toasted

2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine onions, wine and butter in a 9- by 12-inch baking pan. Bake until the onion is very soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Bring broth to a simmer. Divide the warm onions among 6 soup bowls or crocks. Ladle broth over onions. Top each with a slice of baguette. Top with cheese. Broil until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 365 calories, 19 grams fat (47 percent fat calories), 17 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrate, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 1,308 milligrams sodium.