French Onion Soup

Coupled with a Caesar Salad…then of course wine!

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

6-7 onions, sliced (I used 4 HUGE yellow sweet slicing onions)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 bay leaves

2 fresh thyme sprigs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup red wine, I used chianti

3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 quarts beef broth (College Inn)

2 tsps Better Than Bouillion + 2 cups water

Croutons (Homemade or store bought, any kind you like)

Sliced Swiss and sliced provolone
Directions

Melt the stick of butter with the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn’t burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bouillion and water and bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you’re ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls or crocks and float several of the croutons on top. Cover with slices of Swiss and provolone.  Put in oven on middle rack and watch closely as it will brown very fast and may burn if you aren’t right on top of it.

This will serve 6-8 depending on your size crock/bowl.  I always make extra to share or freeze. It takes about 1 1/2 hrs from start to table.  This was adapted from the Tyler Florence recipe on the Food Network.  Add a salad and enjoy!