Classic French Onion Soup

Leaving for work at 5AM means getting a nice crisp wake up call by the 40 degree November weather -- cold but much preferred to the 90 F temperatures we had last month. This new chilly Fall weather makes me think of yellow leaves, reading books under a cozy blanket, hot chocolate by the fire place, and endless SOUP. Soup for lunch, soup for dinner, a different soup for every day of the week! My most recent soup craving was french onion soup, something rather hard to come by here in the Inland Empire. So I figured I would just have to make it myself. 

French Onion Soup Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
4 onions, quartered and sliced into 1/2cm slices
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 sprigs of thyme
1 32oz carton and 1 14 oz can beef broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Baguette - sliced and toasted
6 large slices of gruyere cheese and parmigiana cheese

Instructions: 
1. Cut onions in half - slice into 1/2 cm slices and cut each slice in half again
2. Melt 1 stick butter in a large pan
3. Add onions, thyme sprigs, 1tsp salt, and 1tsp sugar to the pan. 
4. Caramelize onions over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally to allow for browning. Do not let onions burn.
5. Next, add the broth, salt, and pepper. Let simmer covered on low heat for 40 minutes. Add white wine and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. 
6. Ladle soup into ramekins or oven-safe bowls. Top each bowl off with a slice or two of toasted baguette and a slice of cheese. 
7. Place bowls on a baking sheet in the oven on the top rack and broil on high for 5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. 
8. Let cool 5 minutes before serving as bowls will be very hot. 

Bon Appetit!