How do you make French Onion Soup like a restaurants version?

I’ll give you my recipe….its easy, and doesn’t have those huge chinks of onion…

You use a 5 quart pan to make it in, and it makes enough to serve four…..

4 large sweet yellow onions
butter
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
64 ounces stock ( 64 beef or 32 ounces each of beef and chicken…or 32 beef and 32 vegetable…it makes a less rich soup this way…if you want a very rich, full bodied soup the use beef consomme as your stock…)
4 ounces white wine
Gruyere cheese
1 loaf french crusty bread, cut into 1 inch slices then cubed

Peel onions and slice in half. Now, thinly slice the onion halves, and mix with a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
In your pan, add approx. 3 tablespoons of butter, melt it over a medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions and saute on a medium low heat until they become soft. Add the wine and saute for a few minutes more. Add your stock and seasonings and cap the pan, allowing it cook on a low heat for at least one hour.
In the meantime, take your french bread and toss it quickly in melted butter, then spread out on a cookie sheet and toast it under the broiler. You’ll have to turn the pieces once to make sure they toast all the way through.
Cut your cheese into half inch thick slices, and set them in the refrigerator until ready to use.
About 15 minutes before you serve your soup, turn your broiler on low and ladle soup into oven safe bowls, about 3/4 full. Drop at least two pieces of your french bread into the bowl and immediately cover it with cheese (depending on the size of your block of gruyere you might need to use two pieces to cover the bowl) making sure that it overhangs the bowl just a little bit…yo want it to float over the bread and not sink into the soup. Put it under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and just begins to turn a little brown.
Voila!
The one they make at Applebees isn’t really cooked long enough for my liking. The onions aren’t nearly soft enough. If you cook your onions first then slowly cook them in the stock they will be very soft, and nearly ready to melt away entirely. You won’t have those chunks. If you really can’t stand the onions and want only broth, then just strain it into the bowl. The onions have to be there in the cooking process to get the flavor right, but you don’t have to eat them.

Title: French Onion Soup
Categories: Soups/stews, Beef, French
Yield: 6 servings

1/4 c Butter 6 x Medium cooking onion sliced
1 ts Sugar 1 tb All purpose flour
1 c Dry white wine 4 c Beef broth
1/4 ts Pepper 6 x 1/2 in day old french bread
2 c Grated swiss cheese 1/2 c Grated parasean cheese
1 x Paprika

In large Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and sugar.
Cover and cook, stirring occaisionally, 30 minutes or until onions are
tender but not colored. Uncover pan, increase heat slightly and continue
to cook, stirring regularly until onions are rich caramel colour (10 to 15
minutes) DO NOT LET ONIONS BURN. Stir in flour until well blended.
Gradually add wine; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and
thickens. Stir in beef broth and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat to
low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Ladle soup into 6, 1-1/2 cup oven proof
bowls. Top each with bread slice; sprinkle with swiss cheese and parmaean
cheeses and paprika. Place bowls on jelly roll pan. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles.
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ONION SOUP, FRENCH STYLE
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups French

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
3 lb Onion — peeled
1/2 c Butter
1 1/2 ts Pepper, black
2 tb Paprika
1 Bay leaf
3/4 c Flour
3 qt Beef bouillon
1 c Wine, white
2 ts Salt
1/2 lb Swiss cheese
French bread

Slice onions, 1/8 inch thick. Melt butter, place
onions in it, saut# slowly for 1 1/2 hours in a large
soup pot. Add all other ingredients except bouillon,
wine and salt, saut# over low heat 10 minutes more.
Add bouillon and wine and simmer 2 hours. Adjust
color to a brown with caramel coloring or liquid
browning sauce. Season to taste with salt. Put in
refrigerator overnight.

To serve: Heat soup. Fill ovenproof casser#le or
individual oven- proof bowls with 1 cup soup, top
with 3 one-half inch slices of French Bread and top
with a slice of imported swiss cheese (Gruyere
preferred). Place under broiler to brown,
approximately 5 minutes at 550 degrees. This is a five
star recipe!
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TOMATO FRENCH ONION SOUP

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
4 ea Medium onions, chopped
2 tb Butter or margarine
1 ea Can stewed tomatoes (14.5oz)
1 t Italian seasoning
1 ea Can condensed beef
Consomme (10.5 oz)
2 c Water
1/4 c Dry sherry
4 ea Slices toasted French bread
1 1/4 c Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated

In large saucepan, cook onion in butter until tendeer.
Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Chop tomatoes; add
tomatoes, reserved liquid, 2 cups water, consomme and
sherry to onions. Bring to boil, skimming off foam.
Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Place soup in four
broilerproof bowls, top with bread and cheeses and
broil until cheese is melted and golden.
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FRENCH ONION SOUP GRATINEE
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1/4 c Butter or margarine
3 Large onions, sliced (4 C)
1 t Sugar
1 tb All purpose flour
2 1/2 c Water
1/2 c Red wine
2 cn Condensed beef broth
French bread
8 oz Swiss cheese slices

1. In a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat in hot
butter, cook onions and
sugar for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour until well blended with the onions
and the pan juices.
3. Add water, wine, and undiluted
beef broth; heat to boiling.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Cut four 1 inch thick slices of bread from loaf.
Toast in 325F oven
just until light

This recipe sounds like it would be good for you!
Ingredients:
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 1 onion, sliced into thin rings
* 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
* 3 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed chicken broth
* 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed beef broth
* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 (1 ounce) package au jus gravy mix
* 2 cups croutons
* 8 slices Swiss cheese
Instructions:
1. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook garlic until just golden. Set aside.
2. In a skillet, cook sliced onions in butter, over medium low heat, until a caramel color is reached (any onion that is burned during this process should be discarded). Set aside.
3. Combine chicken and beef broth in a 2 quart saucepan. Add fried garlic, fresh ground pepper and sauteed onions. Bring the soup mixture to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the packaged gravy mix and simmer for another 10 minutes.
4. Turn on oven broiler and divide soup evenly among 4 oven safe soup crocks. Place several croutons on the top of the soup followed by two slices of Swiss cheese on top of the croutons. Make sure that the cheese does not sink into the soup. Place soup crocks on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.
That serves 4.
:]

Hello Kristin :
I think of myself as a decent cook, but, I’ve never made French Onion soup. However, you can find professional recipes at 2 websites.
(1), and
(2)
I checked out the FoodNetwork and it looks like it has any recipe besides good soup recipes.
Good Luck ! Kristin !