French Onion Soup

Rating: 5 of 5
 
Note: I wish I had doubled the amount of broth; this was barely enough soup to go around between 4 people.It also ended up being more flavored onions rather than soup.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds onions (a mixture of yellow, red and shallots), sliced in thin half-moons
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 quart beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 baguette, sliced into 1/2 inch slices slightly on the diagonal (I used my homemade french bread)
• 6 ounces Gruyere, grated (Smoked Gruyere gives the best flavor)
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Additional thyme sprigs for garnish

Note: I used a typical soup pot for the soup, not a Dutch oven.

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions, salt, thyme and bay leaves; stir, ensuring that the onions are coated in the melted butter. Cook the onions over medium heat for about 45 minutes, until the onions become very caramelized.
2. Once the onions have become very caramelized, add the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring continuously. Next, slowly add the red wine, stirring the pot to scrape up the caramelization from the sides of the Dutch oven. Then, add the beef stock and water. Bring the soup to a bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. When the soup is nearly done simmering, turn on the broiler. Place the baguette slices (enough to have two to three slices per bowl) on a parchment-lined baking sheet; toast under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. While the slices toast, ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls or crocks. Once the tops of the baguette slices have toasted, remove them from the oven. Float 2 or 3 slices, toasted side down, on the tops of each bowl. Place the bowls on the baking sheet and slide the sheet under the broiler for 2 minutes, until the tops of the baguette slices become very lightly browned. Remove the pan and top each bowl with an equal amount of the shredded gruyere. Slide the pan under the broiler for a final 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
4. Crack fresh black pepper on top of the bowls and garnish with a small sprig of thyme, if desired.