French Onion Soup

I love, love, LOVE french onion soup. I get so excited when I open up a restaurant menu and find it offered. But I'm super finicky about it because there is so much that can go wrong with this particular soup. Its such a disappointment if the broth is bland or there is very little bread or the cheese isn't fully melted or the cheese is burned or there isn't enough cheese... you get the idea.
It was always a gamble so I figured it was high time I found a french onion soup recipe to call my own.

I'll never be disappointed again. At least not with my soup.

Here is what you will need:

4 onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups beef stock
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 rubbed sage
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 loaf French bread
Sliced Gruyere

Slice up the onions...

...mince the garlic

In a large saute pan add the olive oil and butter. Toss in the onions and garlic and saute over low heat until tender and golden yellow.

Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well.

Now look, at this stage its not the prettiest picture-- but the aroma more than makes up for it!

Now add stock and vinegar and bring to a boil. Add thyme, sage and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle onion soup into an oven safe single serving crock and top with toasted french bread


and sliced cheese. Don't be shy, Gruyere was meant for onion soup.

This is what you get after a few minutes under the broiler.


The perfect marriage of broth, bread, onion and cheese... An ace in the hole.

Just be careful not to burn your mouth scarfing it down.