French Onion Soup

I’m a big fan of onions. It’s always a case of the more the better. I just cant’ get enough of them. That’s why I enjoy cooking onion bajis and onion soups. Here’s the recipe for the latter.

Ingredients

(serves 6)
50g butter
1tbsp olive oil
2kg onions
1tsp chopped fresh thyme
1tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1.5 litres vegetable stock
25ml tbsp plain flour
150ml dry whtie wine
3tbsp brandy
Salt and ground black pepper

For the Croutes
6-12 thick slices day old french bread
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp french mustard
115g Gruyere cheese

Heat the butter and oil in a large pann. Add the onions and stir. Cook over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the onions begin to soften. Stir in the thyme.
Reduce the head to very low, cover and cook the onions for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until very soft and golden.

Uncover the pan and increase the heat slightly. Stir in the sugar and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the sherry vinegar and increast the heat again, then continue cooking, stirring frequently until onion turn a deep golden brown – this could take up to 20minutes.

Bring the stock to the boil in another pan. Stir the flour into the onions adn cook for 2 minutes then gradually stir in the sotck, wine, brandy and seasoning to taste. Bring to the boil, stirring, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15minutes

For the croutes, preheat the oven to 150C. Place the bread on a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Rub with the garlic and spread with mustrad, then sprinkle with the cheese.

Preheat the grill on the hottest setting. Ladle the soup into six flameproof bowls. Add the croutes and grill until the cheese melts, bubbles and browns. Serve immediately.