Melbourne chef and restaurateur Jason Jones calls Entrecôte, his distinguished Melbourne brasserie, a “Parisian party palace”. Naturally, any such establishment requires a reliable recovery dish. Enter its French onion soup, or soupe à l’oignon.
“In my humble opinion, [it’s] one of the greatest hangover cures ever created,” Jones writes in his new cookbook, Entrecôte: Depuis 2015. “Said to have been born in Les Halles in the 19th century, it’s comfort in its purest form.”
The dish, which famously sustained the masses during the French Revolution, is a paragon of resourceful cooking. When you have your first spoonful, it’s hard to believe that it’s made from such simple ingredients. In this recipe, straight from Entrecôte’s kitchen, a kilogram (and then some) of slow-cooked onions is bolstered by simple pantry staples: butter, sugar, flour, herbs and stock. And, to keep things classy, there’s a splash of brandy and a thick canopy of molten gruyere and parmesan.
“Topped and baked with rich gruyere croutons, that deep, dark, caramelised onion broth and the intoxicating aroma that fills the kitchen as it all comes together – it’s pure magic,” Jones writes. “A bowl of this, and voila – the world instantly feels right again.”
Entrecôte: Depuis 2015 is part memoir, part scrapbook and part tutorial in the French classics – and looks just as good as a coffee table staple. Beyond this comforting soup, the glossy volume features some of the restaurant’s most-loved hits, from the signature steak frites with secret green sauce to a glorious crème brûlée.
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Soupe à l’oignon gratinée by Entrecôte
Serves 6–8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ingredients
50g butter
50ml neutral oil
1kg brown onions, thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
2 tsp sugar
30g plain flour
190ml dry cider
1.5L veal stock
1 bay leaf
3 sage leaves
50g raw brown onion, finely grated
50g gruyere cheese, grated (for soup)
20ml brandy
To finish
90g gruyere cheese, grated (for topping)
15g parmesan cheese, grated
12–16 croutons
Method
In a large heavy-based pot, melt the butter with oil over medium heat. Add sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until soft and translucent. Uncover, increase heat to medium-to-high, add sugar, and stir frequently to caramelise the onions. Cook until deep golden brown.
Reduce heat to medium-to-low. Add flour and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes to cook it out. Deglaze with cider, scraping the bottom to fully incorporate the flour. Add stock, bay leaf and sage. Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Stir in the grated raw onion and 50g of gruyere. Bring to the boil to melt the cheese. Add brandy and adjust salt to taste.
To serve, preheat the oven to 220°C. Reheat soup and ladle into ovenproof bowls (250 ml each). Place croutons on top of each bowl. Mix the remaining gruyere and parmesan (6:1 ratio) and generously cover the croutons, sealing the edges with cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Present on an underplate with a folded napkin.
This is an edited extract from Entrecôte by Jason Jones. Published by Melbourne Books (RRP $89.90).
Dining and Cooking