French Onion Soup

After my brother spent some time in Paris this spring, he grew an affinity for French onion soup. On a rainy night, he came over and we recreated the magic using a recipe we found in Gourmet magazine.



First we melted butter.



Then sliced two huge onions and one medium sized.



Then we added the onions to the pot and added a pinch of salt, three sprigs of thyme and two bay leaves.



We sautéed them for 45 minutes until they got very tender and brown.  We then added a little flour to thicken it up.



We added some white wine.



Then four cups of beef broth.



Then water to mellow it out a bit.



We added some freshly ground pepper and then let the pot simmer for a half an hour.



In the meantime, we sliced bread and toasted it in the oven for about 15 minutes, flipping it once so as not to burn it.



We grated some Parmesan cheese.



And some Fontina.  I was late rounding up the groceries and Emily's Pork Store didn't have Gruyére or Comté so I went for the Fontina.



We fished out the bay leaves and branches of thyme.  Of course we could have made a bouquet de garni but we didn't have cheesecloth and neither of us mind pieces of thyme in the mix.



We portioned out two bowls.  I had French onion soup bowls! I got them with my mother at Housing Works years ago - I knew they'd come in handy!



We dropped a toast into each bowl.



We topped the toast with the Fontina and the Parmesan.



I turned the oven all the way up (broiler does not work) and loaded in the soup.



A few minutes later, voilá! Cheese bubbling on top, we pulled the bowls out of the oven and enjoyed our Soupe de l'Oignon!  Time consuming but very simple, I recommend making a lot at a time and then freezing what you don't use.  It'll always come in handy on a rainy evening.