Eats: French Onion Soup.

There is nothing I love more than a hearty bowl of soup when I'm feeling low. To say I've been rather stressed lately would be a bit of an understatement (my job search has proved less than fruitful so far) and the only thing I want to do this weekend is recharge my batteries, start my new book, avoid my computer and make a big ol' crock pot of soup. Since I just finished Julia Child's My Life in France (which I highly recommend), French Onion Soup is just the ticket for a low-kinda Sunday. Oh, and my new book is also about another French-culture icon, Miss Coco Chanel (go figure.) My love affair continues! Click below to see the whole recipe and file as noms.

This is the point where I start to cry. God damn onions!

Ingredients:

• 2 lb medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth (32 fl oz)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Homemade croutons- saute cubed bread in some butter, olive oil, salt and pepper (these make the whole dish easier to eat than using a large piece of floating toast on top of your soup!)
• 1 (1/2 lb.) piece of Gruyère
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

That is a whole lot of onions, and a whole lot of tears.

Recipe:

• Cook onions, thyme, bay leaves, and salt in butter in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. 
• Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. 
• Stir in wine and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. 
• Stir in broth, water, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
• Prepare the homemade croutons.
• Preheat broiler. Put crocks in a shallow baking pan.
• Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among crocks, then cover each with a layer of croutons. Slice enough Gruyère (about 6 ounces total) with cheese grater to cover tops of crocks, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little fresh thyme if you like.
  (You are welcome to go the classic way with this recipe and float a single crostini on top; I just find it extremely difficult to eat the soup that way- unless you enjoy eating it with a knife!)
• Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.
• In the words of Mrs. Child, bon appétit! 

The (almost) finished product! Now time for cheese and bread! 

[Images via: A Cozy Kitchen, Pinterest, recipe via: Gourmet]