Melt 1/2 the butter in a saucepan. Cook the onions in it until transparent & golden. Add teh flour & stir. Cook 3 minutes longer. Add the stock & simmer at least 30 minutes. Add salt & pepper.
Toast the bread slices & butter the toast w/the remaining butter. Preheat oven to 375°.
Pour the soup into a large earthenware casserole. (can use individual ramekins.) Add the wine & & 1/2 the grated cheese. Cover the surface w/the pieces of buttered toast. Sprinkle all with the remaining grated cheese & add the slices of cheese. The object is to cover the liquid completely w/toast & cheese.
Place the casserole, uncovered, in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese & bread are brown & crusty.~~
NOTE: You can also omit the wine & use 1/2 cup dry vermouth.~~ (Serves 10-12)

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

French Onion Soup Gratinee

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Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
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Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 large red onions -- thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions -- thinly sliced
1 can chicken broth -- (48 fluid ounce)
1 can beef broth -- (14 ounce)
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper -- to taste
4 thick slices French or Italian bread
8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese -- at room temperature
1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese -- at room temperature
4 pinches paprika

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.
2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
3. Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
4. Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
5. Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

Source:
"www.allrecipes.com"

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NOTES : 11-26-07 Made using croutons instead of bread, with Jack and Parmesan cheese. Used 1 teaspoon dried thyme.

White Note Onion Soup
4 to 5 large onions thinly sliced
6 T. butter
3 T. all purpose flour
3, 10 oz cans of chicken broth
3, 10 oz cans of beef broth
3 T dry sherry

French bread
grated Swiss cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

In a large Dutch oven ( a heavy pot holding at least 4 quarts) melt the butter and cook the onion very slowly until soft but not browned....just a little golden....blend in the flour, tossing the onion to coat evenly, add warm broths slowly stirring all the while ( so you don't get flour lumps), then simmer VERY slowly for about 2 hours. Toast slices of the bread on a cookie sheet in an oven at 350 until brown, turn and toast the other side. Add sherry to soup. Ladle soup into bowls, top with a toast slice and a mixture of grated Swiss and Parmesan cheeses.....serve and enjoy!!
Linda C

FRENCH ONION SOUP – serves 4 to 6

3 Tbs. butter
4 large sweet onions (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar (optional, see note)
1 cup dry white wine
2 quarts beef broth
2 ribs celery with leaves, each rib cut in half
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 to 6 slices baguette, cut 1/2 inch thick, lightly toasted
1/4 cup coarsely grated Emmental, Gruyere, or other Swiss-type cheese

Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized, a minimum of 30 minutes. (The longer the onions cook slowly, the richer the flavor of the soup.)

Add the white wine and cook over medium-high heat until the wine reduces to about half, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and allow the soup to simmer until the onions are meltingly tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and discard the celery. Add the sherry and simmer soup for another 5 minutes.

To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls. Top each with 1 slice of bread, sprinkle with 1 Tbs. cheese, and place the bowls on a cookie sheet. Heat in the center of the preheated oven just until the cheese melts and bubbles, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and serve at once.

Note: The tiny bit of sugar added to the onions helps caramelize them, but the onions themselves will caramelize if they’re sweet enough and if you’re patient enough. I never use it, just keep them cooking. I always use firm yellow onions. The large white onions don’t seem to get soft enough and vidalias become soft but have such a bland flavor when cooked.

I agree with above posters.....caramelizing the onions is KEY to a good french onion soup. Don't worry if it takes about 45 minutes or longer to get the color you're looking for. And DON'T trust the recipes that say to cook the onions for 20-25 minutes.

I also agree that yellow onions are best for this soup. And of course homemade stock is best, but they are really putting out some good "stock in a box" products now.

French Onion Soup

2 lb sweet onions, sliced thinly & separated into rings
Bacon Grease
4-1/2 c beef broth
1/2 c white wine
2 T Worcestershire
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt & pepper

French bread slices, toasted
Gruyere Cheese

Saute onion rings in bacon grease until lightly browned. Combine onions and remaining ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if necessary

Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. Place one slice of toasted French bread on top and 2 slices of gruyere or swiss cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is browned and bubbly.
Serve.

Linda