French Onion Soup with Croutons

Makes: 6-8 servings

Total Time To Eating (TTTE): 1 hour

Ingredients

Soup

• 3-4 Large white onions - I prefer Maui or Vidalia onions because they are sweeter but any white or yellow onion will work.
• 3 sprigs of fresh Thyme or 1 tsp. dried Thyme
• 3-4 Bay Leaves
• Water
• Beef broth or Beef bullion
• 1-2 cups Sherry or Dry Red Wine
• Salt and Freshly ground pepper
• 1-2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• EVOO
• Flour

Croutons

• Sourdough bread or french baguette (cut into pieces). Allow 1 piece per serving.
• Swiss or Gruyere cheese (I actually prefer Swiss Cheese)
• Garlic

Directions

1. Quarter onions and then slice into ~1/4" slices. Over med-low heat, coat a deep pan or soup pot with EVOO. Add sliced onions and cover. Let onions saute over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions have caramelized.
2. Add ~2 tbsp. butter and lightly (I mean lightly here!) coat onions in flour (1-2 tbsp. tops!). Stir continuously until the flour has browned. Deglaze pan with 1 cup Sherry or Dry Red Wine. Add thyme and bay leaves to the mixture. Simmer on low heat until the liquid has been reduced by about half.
3. Add water and beef broth or bullion until you have 6-8 cups of soup. Salt and pepper to taste. If taste needs adjustment, add additional water, broth or sherry.
4. Over medium-low heat, let soup simmer for 15 minutes.
5. While soup is simmering, peel a clove of garlic. Place your bread in the toaster for one cycle (or in the oven for about 2 minutes). Remove and rub the garlic over the pieces of bread. Cover each piece of bread with cheese and place in the oven at Broil until cheese has melted and bread is toasted.
6. To serve: remove the bay leaves from the soup. Fill bowl with a serving of soup and place a crouton in each bowl.