French Onion Soup

Allan

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 pounds yellow onions (5 large)

¼ cup dry sherry

6 cups homemade stock (beef, chicken or veggie)

2 bay leaves

6 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 small loaf of good bread cut into ¾ inch cubes

8 oz Gruyère cheese

Make the stock if you don't have it using the recipe provided here: Chicken Stock. Note this takes at least 4 hours, so plan accordingly.

Make the caramelized onions using the recipe provided here: Caramelized Onions. Note that this takes 2 hours or so, so plan accordingly.

Make croutons from the bread, for example by tossing them in olive oil (optional) and toasting them in the oven for 15 minutes so that they are light brown and crunchy.

Add the sherry, stock, bay leaves and thyme to the onions, bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Too much longer and flavors start to blend together too much I think.

Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Heat up the broiler or get out your blow torch. You do have a blow torch, right?

Ladle ½ of the soup into the bowl, add sparse layer of croutons and cheese, and then repeat, using more cheese at the top. Blow torch or broiler the cheese until it melts and just starts to turn brown.

My custom, patented serving method provides both crunchy and squishy bread pieces which I love, and divides the cheese into multiple gooey parts. You can also throw extra croutons in as you work your way down to get additional crunch. You're welcome.

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