French Onion Soup

When my parents used to have company over, they often used to make French Onion soup. My dad made it in these old brown bowls with handles and he would drape puff pastry over it before putting it in the oven, creating this lovely crust on top where, once you punctured it, you would find a soup of rich broth, caramelized onions and melted swiss cheese. 

Without those beautiful oven safe bowls, I had to find another way to make a French Onion soup. I made the base the same way -- by cooking a variety of onions for nearly an hour and adding beef stock -- but then I toasted french loaf and melted swiss cheese on it and dropped two of them in my soup. Delicious! Necessity is the mother of invention, isn't it? Or, is it hunger?

French Onion Soup
Serves 6-8
Printable Recipe


Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups sliced onions (I used two regular, 1 spanish and 1 white)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 5 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 slices French bread
• 12 slices swiss cheese

Directions

• Melt butter with olive oil in large pot on medium heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally until onions become tender and carmelized, about 45 minutes.
• Add the beef broth, red wine and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with the slices of French bread. Toast the bread slightly for about 4 minutes, then add slices of swiss cheese and turn broiler on until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 3 minutes.
• Ladle soup into bowls and add two slices of cheese bread. Serve.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rich-and-Simple-French-Onion-Soup/Detail.aspx