Better than your fancy Chef’s French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 sweet onions, sliced thin to medium keeping their ring shape
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme OR 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 1/2 cups red wine
• 3 full tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 baguette (the harder and more dense the bread the better for the soup. A ciabatta baguette would be perfect)
• Grated Gruyere Cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bowls, mitts and mozz!

• French onion bowls so you can place the soup in the oven after and melt the cheese on top of the soup.
• Oven mittens
• Mozzarella for extra cheese in the soup

Instructions

1. Start off by melting the butter in a medium to large to over medium heat. The reason you need something semi large is because of the space the onions take up in the start. You don't want to transfer the soup to another pot midway through because you'll leave behind all the delicious crispy bits that stick to the bottom of the pot during the caramelization.
2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized. It should take about 30 mins depending on how many onions you've used and the power of your stove. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to a simmer and let it do it's thing until all of the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry. This should take about 20 minutes or so, again depending on how much you added and how hot your stove is.
3. Once the wine is evaporated, pick out the bay leaves and thyme sprigs if you used them. Turn your heat down to medium low and get your flour out and pour each spoon of flour evenly over the entire pot. You want to make it easy for yourself when stirring and don't want to create flour clumps. Stir well. Make sure you're at medium low so you don't burn the flour. Cook for about 8 minutes or until you no longer taste the raw flour.
4. Now you're ready for the beef broth. If you make your own it'll taste amazing, If you are using powder stock it'll taste delicious. I try and stay away from the boxed already made stock because I find you have to buy 2 boxes and it adds up and it's too salty, even with the low sodium ones. Whether from scratch or powder, make your stock in a separate pot, bring to a boil and add it to your wine onions. With the beef broth added, bring the soup back to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. In the meantime you can turn on your oven and get the bowls and cheese ready. Preheat boiler to the same temperature you'd use to make garlic bread. You want to melt the Gruyere cheese and toast the bun.
6. Cut the baguette into thick slices. Grate the cheese thin. Grab a soup bowl and with a ladle, scoop one scoop into the bowl. Add some Gruyere cheese. Scoop another ladle of soup or two to get you near the top of the bowl. Now grab your baguette and put it in the soup filled bowl. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese on top - lots of it and put it in the oven. Broil until the cheese begins to bubble and is golden brown. about 5 minutes.
7. Make sure you have your oven mittens near by because it's easy to pull out the hot bowl with your hand and forget it's very very hot.
8. Let is stand for a few minutes so you don't burn yourself and ENJOY!