french onion soup

I haven't talked about food in a good minute.

So I'll share with you one of my epic successes of the past month.

French Onion Soup from scratch.

I even made it twice.  Just to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke.

Sometimes I amaze myself.

For those of you cooking up a storm for your Valentine's Day surprise, this would be a great soup and salad course.  Before the big entrée.

  Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter

4 onions sliced

4 garlic gloves chopped

3 bay leaves

5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

1 cup of red wine (I use Cabernet Sauvignon, preferably one with plum or berry undertones)

3 tbls of flour

2 quarts of beef broth

french baguette, sliced about 1 inch

grated Gruyere cheese (I used mozzarella too)

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sauté until the onions are very soft and caramelized.

Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated.

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, toast the baguette slices on a baking sheet for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, flipping halfway through. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and toast until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float the baguette on top.