Cévennes sweet onions caramelize over an hour in salted butter—chef Jaïs Mimoun adds sugar and flour before white wine deglazes the fond.
Soupe à l'oignon traditionnelle, une recette de Jaïs Mimoun, chef du restaurant Jaïs à Paris
The Story
Right, this Lyonnaise classic dates back to Louis XV allegedly flinging together butter, onions and champagne at midnight in 1750s Versailles, but Jaïs Mimoun's Paris version uses sweet Cévennes onions instead—proving that even French peasant food, once mocked as poverty rations, can become the sort of thing that makes grown men weep into their comté-crusted bowls like absolute nancies.
Regional Twist
Up in Alsace, cooks ditch the dry white wine entirely for a splash of local Riesling and swap comté for Munster cheese, giving the gratin a funkier, stinkier punch that'll clear your sinuses faster than any thermostat-based French heating system ever could.
Prep
0
min
Cook
60
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- Sel
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Thym
📦Other(11)
- 75g de beurre salé
- 2 litres de bouillon de volaille
- 200g de comté râpé
- 1c.a.c de farine
- Laurier
- Muscade
- 500g d'oignons doux des Cévennes
- 8 tranches de pain
- Poivre
- 1c.a.s de sucre
- 10 cl de vin blanc sec
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
392
Protein
14g
Carbs
31g
Fat
22g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Faire fondre le beurre dans une grande casserole y ajouter les oignons finement taillés.
- 2
Faire colorer les oignons sans les brûler y ajouter un peu d’eau si cela colore trop.
- 3
Ensuite incorporer la farine et le vin blanc, mélanger le tout et verser le bouillon de volaille.
- 4
Assaisonner à souhait et laisser mijoter environ une heure à frémissement.
- 5
Dans les bols insérer une première partie des morceaux de pain et le fromage.
- 6
Verser la soupe dessus et remettre les morceaux de pain et du fromage râpé dessus.
- 7
Ne pas hésiter à remettre un tour de moulin à poivre.
- 8
Dernière étape : mettre au four en mode grille ou sous une salamandre.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Caramelize onions for 45-55 minutes over medium heat (not high) to develop deep browning through the Maillard reaction while preserving sweetness; add 2-3 tablespoons water in 5-minute intervals if they darken too quickly, as this prevents burnt, bitter flavors while allowing controlled caramelization.timing45-55 minutes, medium heat, water additions every 5 minutes
- ✓Add flour at the caramelization endpoint and cook for 2-3 minutes before deglazing with white wine to create a proper roux that thickens the soup to 1.5-2% viscosity by weight without flour lumps forming.technique2-3 minutes roux cooking, 1.5-2% final viscosity
- ✓Toast bread rounds at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes before assembly to reach 12-15% moisture content, preventing them from becoming soggy and maintaining structural integrity when topped with melted Comté under the broiler.equipment375°F (190°C), 8-10 minutes, 12-15% moisture
- ✓Use 200g Comté for 2 liters soup (10% by volume) because this aged cheese's lower moisture and higher fat content (34%) creates a golden crust at 450°F under the broiler in 3-4 minutes without separating or becoming oily.ingredient10% cheese ratio, 34% fat content, 450°F, 3-4 minutes
- ✓Simmer soup at a bare tremor (185-195°F / 85-90°C) for 60 minutes rather than rolling boil to preserve volatile aromatic compounds in thyme and bay leaf while allowing collagen in chicken stock to hydrate properly without evaporating flavor.timing185-195°F (85-90°C), 60 minutes at gentle simmer
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