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The French Onion Soup that was served in the cafe at Famous & Barr in St. Louis, MO is iconic and is served in a blue ceramic bowl, topped with toast and cheese.
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French Onion Soup from Famous and Barr

A truly iconic French Onion Soup rich with onions in a broth, topped with French bread and Gruyère cheese with a recipe from the Famous & Barr retail stores in St. Louis, MO.
Course Side Dishes, Soups and Stews, Vegetables
Cuisine American, French
Keyword dinner, Famous & Barr, French, lunch, onion soup
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 656kcal
Author Barb

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds white onions medium size
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 96 ounces beef broth (3-32 oz containers)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • Salt to season
  • 1 loaf French baguette (sliced)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 16 ounces Gruyère cheese (can substitute Swiss which I often do)

Instructions

To Prepare the Soup

  • Slice the onions 1/8" thick. Melt butter in a large pot and sauté the onions over low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
  • Add seasonings; pepper, paprika and bay leaves. Mix well and saute on low for 2-3 minutes; stirring frequently.
  • Add 2/3 of the broth to the pot and stir well. And the flour to the remaining broth and mix thoroughly and then add to the pot, stirring in. Add wine and simmer 2 hours.
  • Refrigerate overnight.

To Serve

  • Turn on oven to broil.
  • Brush bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Lightly brown bread using the broiler watching very carefully so not to burn.
  • Heat soup on stove top.
  • Layer soup, then Parmesan toasted bread, then cheese in ovenproof bowls.
  • Broil until cheese melts; 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully!
  • Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating.

Notes

As iconic as this recipe is, I still made a couple of revisions. I like it better with the addition of some white wine and I eliminated one of the ingredients in the original recipe. It calls for Kitchen Bouquet which is basically a caramel coloring, an artificial ingredient. I never saw the need for it!
 
Some readers have asked for smaller portions. These proportions will produce half as much soup; follow same directions for cooking.
  • 2 1/2 lbs yellow onions
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 1 Tbsp sweet Spanish paprika
  • 1 bay leaf, broken in half
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 6 cups prepared beef bouillon
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 8 oz Gruyere or Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 French Baquette
  • Olive Oil
  • Parmesan Cheese

Nutrition

Serving: 8Servings | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 576mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1019IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 676mg | Iron: 3mg