※ French Onion Soup

INGREDIENTS

SOUP

• 100 gm butter, coarsely chopped
• 2 kg onions, thinly sliced
• 1 litre (4 cups)beef stock
• 4 thyme sprigs
• Fresh Rosemary to taste
• Tablespoon of Worcester sauce
• Tablespoon of red or white wine
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 3 parsley stalks
• 1 fresh bay leaf

Makes 6 cups.

CHEESY BREAD

• 8 1cm-thick slices of baguette cut on diagonal, lightly toasted
• 250 gm coarsely grated Gruyère / I used tasty cheese 

METHOD

• Melt butter in a large, wide heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add onions and garlic, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until onions are soft. 
• Remove lid and cook for 1 hour or until soft and starting to caramelise. Add stock, ½ a cup at a time, and simmer for 5 minutes or until stock has almost evaporated. Repeat three times more until 2 cups of stock has been added. add all other soup ingredients, add to onions with remaining stock and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
• Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, scraping the base to remove any caramelised bits, for 40 minutes or until thick.

• Preheat oven to 200C. 
• Ladle soup into 1½ capacity oven-proof bowls and transfer to an oven tray. Scatter with half the cheese, top each with two toasted baguette slices and scatter with remaining cheese. 
• Place in oven and cook for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. 
• Serve immediately.