French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium yellow onions
• 5-6 cups beef stock
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Gruyere cheese
• Sourdough bread
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Thinly slice 3-4 medium white onions.
2. Get a medium-large sauce pan on medium heat, add 2 tbsp of butter, then add the sliced onions.
3. Cook for 20-30 minutes until the onions become a dark amber color. Keep in mind that the onions can tend to burn during this process if you’re to careful, so make sure to add some liquid (water, wine, or vinegar) to deglaze and slightly cool the pan every 10 minutes or so.
4. Once the onions are sweet, sticky, and dark, add the red wine, black pepper, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and sherry vinegar. Reduce for 5 minutes until the alcohol cooks off, then add the beef broth and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. The broth should reduce by 1/4 or so, but no more than that.
5. While the soup base is reducing slice up some baguette, or use some sort of round bun to fit the shape of your bowl perfectly. Trim around the edges of the bun to form a uniform circle shape, then season it with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toast the slices of seasoned bread in a 350f oven for 5-10 minutes until they’re a crispy golden brown.
6. Once the bread is toasted up and the soup is ready to go, fill a thick bake safe porcelain bowl with the soup base, top it off with the seasoned crouton (toasted bread), and a healthy portion of shredded or grated gruyere cheese. Place the bowl onto a baking tray and into a 500f oven or broiler until the cheese is bubbling over the sides and the top has a light amber color.
7. Take the bubbling soup out of the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before consuming. ENJOY!