Growing up, I was very close to my grandmother, and one of my favorite memories involve the most adorable French bistro we used to lunch at on the weekends.

Le Petit Jardin, translating to “the little garden,” felt like something out of a fairy tale for me. It was tiny, it was authentic, and eating there felt special. I think this may have been the start of where my love affair with all things French began. I remember when my grandmother went to France when I was very young, and I was so excited when she brought me home the most fabulous gifts, including a book from the Louvre that I could never put down. When I had to pick a foreign language to learn in the third grade, the choice was easy: Français, s’il vous plaït. I’ll never forget – my favorite shirt that I simply had to wear the first day of school was from this little white tee that had giant purple polka dots all over, and the word “Bonjour!” was printed right above each dot.

I was already obsessed. With a place I’d never been, and truthfully couldn’t have known much about, but something about it just mesmerized me. I went on to take French for another eight years, and I was considered fluent in high school, at which point I’d taken it as far as I could. I’ll never forgive myself for not continuing to take in college. When I did finally go to France after graduating college, I could get myself around, but I’d love to be fluent again. There’s always the Rosetta Stone, right?

So, in memory of my grandmother, who shaped who I am in countless ways and who I think of everyday – I bring you one of our favorite French dishes: Onion soup.

Because if there was something my grandmother loved to eat more than chocolate, it was cheese. (Yes, I clearly inherited this from her as well.) There was nothing better than all of that crispy, crunchy layer of golden-brown cheese we’d get on the top of our French onion soup.

C’est magnifique!

Soupe a’ l’Oignon

From Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking via Smitten Kitchen

• 1 1/2 pounds or about 5 cups of thinly sliced yellow onions
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• A heavy-bottomed 4-quart covered saucepan
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar (helps the onions to brown)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 quarts boiling brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or 1 quart of boiling water and 1 quart of stock or bouillon
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons cognac
• Rounds of hard-toasted French bread Gratinéed with Cheese (see recipe below)

Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in the covered saucepan for 15 minutes.Uncover, raise heat to moderate, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown. Sprinkle the flour and stir for three minutes.

Off heat, blend in the boiling liquid. Add the wine and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes of more, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning. Set aside uncovered until ready to serve. Then reheat to a simmer. Just before serving, stir in the cognac. Use following instructions for a baked cheese top.

Soupe a’ L’Oignon Gratinée {Onion Soup Gratinéed with Cheese}

• The preceeding onion soup
• A fireproof tureen or casserole or individual onion soup pots
• 2 ounces Swiss cheese cut into very thin slivers
• 1 tablespoon grated raw onion
• 12 to 16 rounds of hard toasted French bread
• 1/2 cups grated Swiss, or Swiss and Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil or small bits of butter for topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Bring the soup to the boil and pour into the tureen or soup pots. Stir in the slivered cheese and grated onion. Float the rounds of toast on top of the soup, and spread the grated cheese over it. Sprinkle with the oil or butter. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, then set for a minute or two under a preheated broiler to brown the top lightly. Serve immediately.