• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Peak to Plate
  • Winter Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Winter Favorites
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Winter Favorites
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Peak to Plate » All Wild Game » Venison

    French Onion Soup with Wild Game Stock

    Published: Feb 25, 2022 · Modified: Oct 7, 2022 by Annie Weisz · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe

    French onion soup is an absolute classic soup that is rich, comforting, and full of flavor. You might think there's not much that can make this soup better. But, what if you caramelized the onions in rendered wild game fat and used homemade stock for the base? OH. MY. GOODNESS. Let me tell you, the flavor and texture is absolutely outstanding. This soup is full of homemade love and you can feel it in every delicious bite!

    spoon scooping out french onion soup with sourdough.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed:
    • Equipment Needed:
    • How to cut onions for French Onion Soup:
    • How to make French Onion Soup:
    • What kind of cheese is on French Onion Soup?
    • Can you freeze French Onion Soup?
    • What else can I make with caramelized onions?
    • What to serve with French Onion Soup:
    • French Onion Soup with Wild Game Stock

    Ingredients Needed:

    • Yellow Onions
    • Butter
    • Rendered Fat from Stock (or butter)
    • Garlic
    • Thyme
    • Bay Leaves
    • Dry Sherry
    • All-Purpose Flour
    • Wild Game Stock (or Beef Stock)
    • Salt and Pepper
    • Sourdough Baguettes
    • Gruyere Cheese

    Equipment Needed:

    • Stockpot
    • Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
    • Sheet Pan
    • Oven with Broiler
    french onion soup ingredients.

    How to cut onions for French Onion Soup:

    When caramelizing onions, they need to be sliced a specific way so that they don't fall apart in the soup. The fibers in onions run from root to tip and if you cut across the grain of the fibers, they lose their integrity and tend to fall apart quickly. But, if you cut with the grain, they hold up well to the long cooking time needed to caramelize them. Follow the directions below to slice the onions for perfect caramelization.

    cutting tip off onion.
    Cut ends off of onion (root and tip)
    cutting onion in half.
    Set onion on flat side and cut in half
    removing skin from onion.
    Remove skin
    removing outer layer on onion.
    Pull off tough outer layer just below skin
    core removed from onion.
    Remove core
    julienned onions on cutting board.
    Slice into ~½" thick slices, slicing from root to tip
    julienned onion in hand.
    julienned onions in bowl.

    How to make French Onion Soup:

    French onion soup can be intimidating because of the technique used to caramelize the onions, but it doesn't need to be! All caramelized onions need is a little bit of love and they will come out perfect every time. Follow these instructions for the perfect French onion soup!

    Instructions:

    1. Start with onions sliced vertically from root to tip (see above).
    2. Melt some butter and/or rendered fat from your stock. If your stock has some fat that floats to the top, it is the perfect fat to cook the onions in and adds another layer of flavor. If you don't have any rendered fat, butter works great as well.
    3. Cook the onions low and slow in a stockpot with some thyme and bay leaves for approximately 1 hour, stirring every 3-5 minutes to make sure they don't burn. Do you really have to stir them that often? Yes, yes you do. Once they are softened and golden brown, you're ready to move on to the next step.
    4. Add in some dry sherry. Dry sherry works better than sweet/cream sherry for French onion soup because the onions already provide sweetness to the soup. Simmer until the onions have absorbed most of the sherry.
    5. Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir to coat. Cook for a couple minutes to remove the raw flour flavor. The flour helps add a bit more body to the soup.
    6. Add stock and bring to a boil. The flavor and quality of your stock will heavily influence the flavor and quality of your soup. I suggest using a rich homemade stock like this one.
    7. Once soup has been brought to a boil, taste it and add salt and pepper as needed. The amount you need to add will depend on the saltiness of your stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
    8. While soup is simmering, preheat oven broiler to low.
    9. Arrange sourdough baguette slices on a sheet pan. Top with shredded gruyere. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Alternatively, if you have oven safe bowls, you can put the whole bowl of soup in the oven with the bread and cheese.
    10. Ladle soup into bowls and top with 2 slices of bread. Enjoy!
    onions with thyme and bay leaves in pot.
    Before cooking
    cooked onions in pot.
    Halfway through cooking
    caramelized onions in pot.
    Caramelized!
    caramelized onions on spatula.
    This golden brown color is what you're looking for!

    What kind of cheese is on French Onion Soup?

    Gruyere cheese is the classic pairing for French onion soup but it's not the only choice! Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese with a complex nutty flavor that melts well. Some other choices include:

    • Emmental: a Swiss cheese with a nutty, buttery flavor
    • Jarslberg: a Norwegian cheese with a subtle sweet flavor
    • Raclette: a pungent Swiss cheese made for melting
    • Swiss Cheese: most cheese labeled as "Swiss Cheese" is very similar to Emmental
    grated gruyere cheese on parchment.
    sourdough bread slices with melted gruyere cheese.
    hand placing bread on french onion soup.

    Can you freeze French Onion Soup?

    Yes, and you should! Your future self will thank you when you have everything you need for a delicious meal at the ready. Place soup into quart or gallon sized zipper bag depending on how much you want to freeze. Squeeze air out of the bag and seal. Lay flat on sheet pan and freeze until solid. Place bread and cheese in separate vacuum seal bags and vacuum seal them. Seal the bread before it gets too squished. Freeze all ingredients for up to 3 months. When you're ready for some soup, thaw ingredients under refrigeration. Cut an air hole in the cheese and bread bags before thawing to help them come back to their original shape. Heat soup on stove or in microwave and broil the bread with cheese. Freezer meals are so handy!

    frozen french onion soup kit.

    What else can I make with caramelized onions?

    Caramelized onions are such a versatile ingredient. The possibilities are endless! For complete instructions on creating the best caramelized onions check out this guide. Once you have the goods, check out some of these delicious recipes!

    • Baked Brie with Caramelized Onions
    • Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
    • Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese

    What to serve with French Onion Soup:

    French onion soup can definitely be a meal on its own. It's so rich and filling! But if you're looking for a little something else to serve with it, here are a few suggestions:

    • Protein: The soup and cheese are fairly rich in fat so a lean venison or elk steak are a great addition.
    • Salad: A salad with a vinaigrette is a great pairing. The acidity of the vinegar helps to cut the richness of the soup.
    • Wine! A bold cabernet sauvignon can stand up to and cut through some of the richness of the soup. Who doesn't love a good wine pairing?
    spoon scooping out french onion soup with sourdough.
    french onion soup with onions on spoon.
    spoon scooping out french onion soup.

    French Onion Soup with Wild Game Stock

    Annie Weisz
    This soup is the ultimate comfort food. Made with rich wild game stock, sweet caramelized onions, sourdough bread, and gruyere cheese, it's a real showstopper.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 2 hrs
    Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine French
    Servings 10 cups
    Calories 462 kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • stock pot
    • sheet pan

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 medium yellow onions
    • ¼ cup butter
    • ¼ cup rendered fat from stock (or butter)
    • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
    • 3 sprigs thyme
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 cup dry sherry
    • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 8 cups wild game stock (or beef stock)
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
    • 20 slices sourdough baguette
    • 10 oz gruyere cheese, grated

    Instructions
     

    • Cut ends off of onions. Set onion up on one of the flat ends and cut in half. Remove core, skin, and tough outer layer. Cut into ½" strips, cutting from root to tip (julienne). Repeat with all onions.
    • Heat stock pot over medium-low heat. Melt butter and rendered fat from stock. If your stock has a layer of fat that has floated to the top, this is the fat you use. If you don't have any, you can use all butter instead.
    • Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to pot. Stir to coat in butter/fat. Cook for approximately 1 hour, stirring every 3-5 minutes or until onions are soft and golden brown. Keep a close eye on them or they will burn.
    • Add sherry to pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer until onions have absorbed most of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
    • Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
    • Add stock to pot. Bring to a boil. Taste the soup once it is heated and add salt and pepper as needed. I used ¾ teaspoon each but the amount you need will depend largely on the flavor of your stock. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven broiler on low. Arrange sliced sourdough baguette on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Sprinkle approximately ½ oz cheese over each piece. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown. Alternatively, if you have oven safe bowls, you can put the whole bowl of soup in the oven with the bread and cheese.
    • To each bowl, scoop 1 cup soup and top with 2 slices of bread. Enjoy!

    Freezing Instructions:

    • Place soup into quart or gallon sized zipper bag depending on how much you want to freeze. Squeeze air out of bag and seal. Lay flat on sheet pan and freeze until solid. Freeze for up to 3 months.
    • To have French onion soup completely at the ready, you can also freeze the bread and cheese. Place bread and cheese in separate vacuum seal bags and vacuum seal them. Seal the bread before it gets too squished. Freeze for up to 3 months.
    • When ready to use, thaw ingredients under refrigeration. Cut an air hole in the cheese and bread bags before thawing to help them come back to their original shape. Heat soup on stove or in microwave and follow instructions for broiling bread and cheese.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 462kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 19gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 763mgPotassium: 381mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 428IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 367mgIron: 3mg
    Love this recipe?Mention @peak.to.plate on Instagram and tag #peaktoplate
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed:
    • Equipment Needed:
    • How to cut onions for French Onion Soup:
    • How to make French Onion Soup:
    • What kind of cheese is on French Onion Soup?
    • Can you freeze French Onion Soup?
    • What else can I make with caramelized onions?
    • What to serve with French Onion Soup:
    • French Onion Soup with Wild Game Stock

    More Recipes:

    • Maple-Glazed Venison Breakfast Sausage Bites
    • Venison Mushroom Swiss Burgers
    • Ground Venison Italian Sausage
    • Venison Poke Bowls

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    posing with whitetail doe

    Hi, I'm Annie! I'm a wife, mom of 2 boys, Registered Dietitian, Wyoming native, lover of all things food, and the creator of Peak to Plate. I believe that preparing delicious meals and enjoying them mindfully is the best way to pay respect to animals harvested for our consumption. I hope to inspire you to take your cooking skills to new creative heights.

    More about me →

    Follow Me:

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Winter Recipes:

    • Sous Vide Elk Tenderloin with Rosemary Shallot Compound Butter
    • Roasted Elk Bone Marrow with Pickled Mustard Seeds
    • Mini Elk Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish Cream Sauce
    • Elk Backstrap with Red Wine Mushrooms
    • Elk Meatballs with Stout and Mushroom Gravy
    • Breakfast Strata with Antelope Sausage (Overnight Breakfast Casserole)

    Featured On:

    company logos peak to plate is featured at.

    Popular Posts:

    • Perfect Venison Backstrap
    • Ground Venison Italian Sausage
    • Honey Smoked Rainbow Trout with Dry Brine
    • Grilled Elk Heart Tacos
    • Homemade Pork Lard (Rendered Pork Fat)
    • Ground Elk Quesadillas
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Winter Favorites
    • Recipes
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Subscribe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Amazon Store

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Need Help?

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Disclosures

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Peak to Plate, LLC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED