French Onion Soup

I remember as a youth learning how to be a chef in a French restaurant. We used to finish working by around 11 pm, then it was time to go have fun! So with friends we’d go dancing, having fun in the city of Paris and by 1 or 2 am it was time to have the traditional french onion soup to end the evening. For that, we’d go to “Les Halles” in the center of the city, a huge open-air market where all the restaurateurs shopped for their restaurants.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 4 cups thickly sliced onions

• 5 cups beef broth

• 2 Tbsp. dry Sherry wine

• 1 tsp. chopped thyme

• 1 pinch salt & pepper to taste

• 4 slices sourdough bread

• 2 cups grated Swiss cheese

Directions

1) Melt butter in an 8 qt. Stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and continually stir until tender and a nice amber color.

2) Add the beef broth, thyme, dry Sherry wine and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

3)Pre-heat the oven broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each. (Bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer.). Top with Swiss cheese. Place the bowls on a cooking sheet and broil in the pre-heated broiler until the cheese bubbles and browns slightly.
Bon Appetit,
Alain Guichard