French Onion Soup

My husband and I love restaurant-style French Onion soup. I have tried a few recipes, but this one is (by far) the best! Next time, I will put a slice of cheese over the top of the soup crock (so that it melts down the sides like in the restaurants :) Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence from the Food Network.

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 bay leaves

2 fresh thyme sprigs

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 cup red wine

3 heaping Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 quarts beef broth

1 baguette, sliced

1/2 pound grated Gruyere cheese

Directions

Melt the stick of butter 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, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes (it took about 20 minutes for me).

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, 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. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.