While I was sampling my third bowl of French Onion soup in Paris, my daughter asks me, "What do you call French Onion Soup in France?" Of course, being completely entranced with the flavors before me and thinking she was actually asking me a real question (I was after all the only one in our group who had studied French once upon a time and the only one who writes about food for a living), I launch into a long explanation of all the different names of Onion soup: Soupe a l'Oignon, Gratinee a l'Oignon and Soupe a l'Oignon Gratinee.

Both girls started hysterically laughing as they gave me the punch line, " No Mom, it's Onion soup!" To get them back for making fun of me, the next time I ordered it, I asked for French Onion Soup. I smiled great big at the waiter, and when he saw the girls' embarrassed reaction was completely in the game. When he served me just minutes later the steaming bowl of cheesy wonderful goodness, he said in his thickly accented, perfectly professional voice, " Viola, Madame, your French Onion Soup! Bon Appetit!" and winked back.

OK, they got me, but by what ever name you call it, French-style onion soup is at the top of my favorite list. And I was not disappointed at any of the bowls I consumed in Paris.

The recipe Beverly and I developed years ago, is still at the top, too. Only when we developed it, we couldn't easily find Gruyere or Fontina cheese, so we substituted Parmesan and Swiss. Not authentic, but easily accessible. Most areas of the US can get perfectly fine, and not too expensive Gruyere and Fontina and we heartily suggest you use them if you want a more "authentic" soup.