French Onion Soup

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Recipe from What's Cookin, Chicago? (originally a Tyler Florence recipe)

I love French Onion Soup - it's one of my absolute favorites, and if it's on the menu somewhere, it's just about guaranteed that I'll be ordering it.  However, I've never made it myself.  And I have no idea why not? 

While time-consuming to carmelize the onions, this is extremely simple to put together.  And this recipe rivals many that I've had in a restaurant.

The only thing missing, that delicious melted, lightly browned layer of cheese over the top of the bowl.  I don't have the oven safe bowls to do that, so I settled with just allowing the heat of the soup to melt the cheese.  Still delicious! :)

I made this soup on a Sunday for Monday nights dinner.  All I had to do on Monday was reheat it, cut the bread slices and put them in a bowl with some cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 c unsalted butter
4 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs (I probably threw in 4 or 5)
Kosher salt and pepper
1 c red wine
3 heaping T all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth (about 8 cups)
French bread, thickly sliced
Provolone, sliced (or cheese of choice)

Directions:
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are very soft and carmelized, about 30 minutes.

Add wine and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer until wine is evaporated, about 10 minutes.  Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Dust onions with the flour and stir to coat.  Cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Add beef broth, bring soup back to a simmer for about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

When you're ready to eat - you can broil the bread, with cheese over top, until cheese is melted.  Serve the soup and place the bread in the bowl. 

Or you can just place the bread and cheese in a bowl, and ladle the soup overtop, which is what I did.

Or, if you have oven-safe dishes, you can top the soup with the bread, then the cheese, and place them under the broiler.

However you do it - enjoy!