By Nadine Smith
Whilst this recipe requires some time and patience to prepare the onions and slowly build the sweet aromatic caramelised flavour, it is well worth the effort and your family and friends will thank you for it!
Makes 6
Ingredients
- 60g butter
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 brown onions, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped
- 2 bay leaves
- 150ml dry white wine
- 1.5 liters chicken or vegetable stock
- Salt flakes & freshly ground pepper to season
- 1 day old baguette, cut into 1.5cm thick slices
- 250g grated gruyere cheese and 150g grated cheddar cheese (mixed together)
Method
- Heat butter and EVOO in a heavy base casserole over low heat until melted. Add onions and cook long and slow, stirring regularly until tender and caramelised. This will take about half an hour or more.
- Increase the heat to medium, add garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for a minute to soften the garlic. Add the wine and allow it to reduce by half. Be sure to scrape the delicious colour and flavour from the base of the pan before adding the stock. Bring up to a gentle boil, season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 15-20 to meld the flavours.
- While the soup is cooking, preheat the grill to 160C. Place the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking tray and toast until both sides until golden. Reset your grill level to fit your heatproof serving bowls underneath.
- Divide the hot soup into the serving bowls, top with toasted baguette overlapping if need be, sprinkle over the cheese and return to the grill to melt until bubbly and golden. Serve immediately and enjoy!
