French Onion Soup

Who doesn't love French onion soup?  It's warm, complex, and covered in cheese!  My recipe is one of my husband's favorite dishes when it gets chilly outside.  Elegant enough to serve at a dinner party but easy enough for a weeknight meal accompanied by a side salad.  The leftovers freeze deliciously as well.  Don't be deterred by how long it takes to caramelize the onions.  It's easy!

French Onion Soup:

serves 6

4 to 5 large sweet onions, sliced thinly

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 tbs olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

5 to 6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed from stems

1 cup of brandy

2 tbs of flour

4 sixteen ounce cans of low sodium beef broth

1 baguette, sliced into 3/4 inch rounds and toasted

1 pound of Gruyere cheese, sliced or shredded

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and melt butter into olive oil.  Add onions and stir until softened.  Add about a teaspoon of salt and a half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.  Reduce heat to low and cook onions uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring approximately ever 5 minutes and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.  Add garlic and thyme and sautee onions for another 30 minutes or so until the onions are brown and caramelized.

Add one cup of brandy and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Allow brandy to cook off for a few minutes.  Add flour and stir.  Cook onions and flour for a few more minutes.  Slowly stir in broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce to a simmer and cover for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To assemble the soup:  Preheat the broiler or oven as high as it will go.  Add about 1-2 cups of soup to an oven proof bowl.  Top with a few toasted baguette slices, overlapping pieces if needed.  Top with cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling.  Serve immediately.