French Onion Soup from Great Dishes of the World by Robert Carrier

One of the most famous soups in the world – is almost invariably associated with late-night revelries. Its ‘restorative’ powers are almost legendary. Make one of the three versions your own.

French onion soup spells Paris in its most romantic mood, an aromatic vision of Les Halles at four in the morning, busy crowded streets filled with the clamorous cries of an awakening city, where home-returning revellers mingle with hardworking marketmen for their one communal meal of the day.

In the very heart of the market, I used to love a tiny, crowded, smoky little workman’s café which stayed open all night. There, porters and fruiterers, camioneurs and butchers complete with blood-stained aprons used to eat and drink around the crowded zinc in the early hours of the morning, and consume countless portions of the house speciality: an appetising soupe à l’oignon, served with a piping-hot crust of bubbling cheese.