The Simple Addition Julia Child Made To Elevate Canned French Onion Soup

From dough-smacking for the perfect French bread to DIY-ing a brick oven to make pizza, Julia Child had no shortage of tips and tricks in the kitchen. And while she had her own French onion soup recipe that she shared during Season 1 of "The French Chef," in the same episode, she also taught viewers how to take canned French onion soup up a notch with the simple addition of an egg.

For single-serving portions, Child opted to add a poached egg to the soup, which she says is a common way of preparing the soup in France. She recommended simply placing the traditional slice of toasted bread into the bowl, topping it with a poached egg, and ladling the soup over top before sprinkling a blend of parmesan and Swiss cheese over the top. While she didn't slice into it for viewers to see the runny yolk pour into the soup, it's not hard to imagine how the presentation would be elevated and the rich creaminess it would add to a potentially drab can of soup.

When doctoring up a larger pot of French onion soup, Child suggested adding the egg in a different way. For this version, she whisked together cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, and an egg yolk. To avoid scrambling the egg by adding it directly to the soup, she first stirred in a bit of the soup before swirling the egg mixture into the pot for a thicker, upgraded version.

There are lots of mistakes that can be made when making poached eggs. Fortunately, there are a few tips and tricks to help you sidestep those pitfalls. The most important part of achieving a restaurant-worthy result is to start with the freshest eggs you can find. The whites will be thicker, and the yolks will be more round. However, if you're not certain that your eggs are perfectly fresh, there are a couple of ways to avoid having the whites become stringy. Julia Child's tip is to briefly simmer the uncracked eggs for about 10 seconds so that the whites become slightly thicker — and you can also use her trick of piercing the shell of the eggs before simmering them. Another strategy is to use a mesh strainer to drain off excess liquid in the egg whites before poaching.

You can also use just a bit of vinegar in the water, which will help the yolk and whites stay together. Then, before adding the eggs, use a wooden or slotted spoon to create a whirlpool before dropping the cracked eggs into the simmering water.

Finally, once the eggs are poached — it only takes a couple of minutes — use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl of chilled water. Not only does this help to remove any residual vinegar, but it prevents the eggs from continuing to cook so that they retain their signature runniness.

Besides the addition of an egg, there are more than a few other ways to add pizzazz to your canned French onion soup. Julia Child recommends adding vermouth, red wine, or cognac. By adding any of these to the soup during the cooking process, you can add depth and warm flavor. Sherry or port wine are two other options. Or, for a non-alcoholic addition to the soup, try stirring in cider vinegar or fish sauce.

Child also recommended putting your grater to work. Shave raw onion into the warmed soup for a boost of fresh flavor, and grate cheese directly into it for a luscious cheese pull. You can use her recommendations of parmesan or Swiss, or put a spin on it with other cheeses that pair well with French onion soup, like Comté or Emmental. Just be sure to steer clear of cheeses like mozzarella or Gouda, which don't retain that ooey-gooey melty consistency for nearly as long as the other varieties.

One problem that you may run into with French onion soup is that it is too sweet. If this is the case with your store-bought can, try counteracting the sweetness with acidity. Vinegar is one option, but you can also opt for lemon juice. An acidic ingredient will also help if the soup is too salty. Finally, if your bowl of French onion soup is lacking flavor, combat the blandness with a simple addition of salt, pepper, or fresh herbs.