Welcome to StartCooking.com.

I'm Kathy Maister.

Onions, onions and more onions. That's what you're going to need to make French onion soup.

The list of the other ingredients and equipment will be at the end of this video.

The hardest part of making this recipe is peeling and slicing all those onions. If onions make you cry, stick them in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you start slicing.

That will help.

You could use a knife to make really thin slices or a mandolin.

No, not the musical instrument.

This mandolin is sometimes called a V slicer.

It's really sharp and will slice the one and one half pounds of onions we need for this

recipe very quickly.

Once the onions are sliced, we're ready to turn the stove on and start cooking.

In a Dutch oven, which is a big heavy pot with a lid, melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter, with three

tablespoons of olive oil, and one half teaspoon of sugar. Add the onions and cook them

over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Every few minutes give them a stir and keep

cooking them until they've turned a lovely golden brown. Now gradually stir in six cups of beef stock. Bring the pot to

a boil and then lower the heat and cover the pot. Gently simmer the soup for about an hour.

While the soup is cooking, slice the French bread and put it on a baking sheet

with sides. Toast both sides of the bread under the broiler. When the soup is cooked,

stir in 1 1⁄2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard and 4 tablespoons of brandy,

which is traditional but optional. Give it a taste to see if it needs any salt and freshly ground pepper.

To assemble the soup, place the oven-proof soup bowls on a baking sheet with sides.

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