French Onion Soup (Good for those who do and don’t eat meat)

1 lb. Yellow Onions sliced thin

1 lb. Sweet Onions sliced thin

1 lb. Red Onions sliced thin

1 lb. Shallots sliced thin

2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

½ oz. Fresh Thyme (or ½ tsp. Dried)

3 Bay Leaves

¼ tsp. Nutmeg

¼ Cup Cognac

½ Cup Dry Red Wine (Pro tip: Always use one you’d drink so there’s no waste)

4 Cups of Beef or Vegetable Stock

1 Cup Water

1 tsp. Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

½ Stick of Butter or Margarine

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

1 Loaf of Crusty Bread (Like a Baguette)

8oz Block of Gruyere or Alpine Swiss Cheese

1. Once your vegetables are chopped up, place a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven (a nonstick pan will prevent you from forming a fond) over medium heat with your olive oil coating the bottom. When the oil begins to shimmer or ripple; add in your yellow onions, sweet onions, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and black pepper.

2. After your onions become soft and translucent, add in your garlic. Keep on the heat, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to brown and a crust (Also known as a fond) starts to form in the bottom of your pan.

3. Add in your red onions and use your stirring utensil to stir the brown crust back into the onions, reduce the heat to medium low and cover for 20 minutes or until the red onions just begin to soften and the yellow/sweet onions start becoming a rich caramel color.

4. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes more until the fond begins to reset in the bottom of the pan, then stream in your wine and cognac, increase the heat to medium high and stir vigorously.

5. Once the liquid has reduced and been absorbed by the onions, add in your nutmeg, stock, water, butter/margarine, bay leaves, shallots and thyme. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes to an hour until you have a thick, deep brown soup.

6. While your soup is in its final stages; preheat your oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit, slice the bread into pieces about 1-1 ½ inches thick and lightly brush with olive oil, salt and pepper. Line them onto a baking sheet and grate a generous amount of your cheese over each piece (I like them to be like little mountains of cheese).

7. About 10 minutes before you take the soup off of the heat, place your bread that has been smothered in cheese into the oven. The cheese should be lightly browned and bubbly, but also have an almost crisp exterior.

8. Ladle your soup into a bowl and place your bread & cheese crostini over the top, season with salt and pepper to taste. That’s a French Onion Soup that you’ll go back to for seconds, thirds, and fourths.