4cupsstrong beef brothuse beef bouillon cubes for a strong taste
2tablespoonscooking sherryto taste
2teaspoonsWorcestershireto taste
1/4tsp black pepper
1/8tspthyme
1bay leaf
1French Baguette
1cupGrated Gruyere cheese or mozzarella of choice.
Instructions
Slice off the ends of each onion and continue slicing so onions are in circles about 1 cm wide.
Cut the onion circles in half. I like to leave mine in larger pieces and have thinner, longer pieces.
Add your butter or oil to a large sauce pot or Dutch oven and melt until it is bubbling.
Add in the sliced onions and brown sugar and stir to coat well.
Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they are browned, glassy and completely caramalized; at least 30 minutes, maybe even up to an hour. Add a tablespoon of water if anything starts to burn. Don't stop until it's done!
Once the onions are caramelized, add in the cooking sherry, salt, pepper, thyme, Bay leaf, and the beef broth. Stir gently.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
Skim off any white foam that floats to the top while cooking.
Take your French baguette, butter them generously and brown under a broiler until toasted.
Spoon into ramekins or your favourite oven safe bowls, leaving at least one inch to the top edge.
Place 1-2 slices of a french baguette into the soup.
Top the baguette with your favourite cheese like Gruyere.
Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil in the oven at 400 degrees for about 3 minutes. Watch for the cheese to start to melt then brown, then remove from the oven.
Let them cool for 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This soup out of all soups is the one that you must adjust to your liking when it comes to ingredients. Some people like the broth so strong that the salt burns your tongue, others don't like the sherry. Really, adjust this to your liking!