FRENCH ONION SOUP 

3 tbsp unsalted butter

4 large onions (Spanish - they need to be sweet onions), thinly sliced

1 cup white wine

2 qts beef broth, homemade or good-quality canned

2 sticks of celery with leaves, each cut in two

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup dry sherry *

6 slices of baguette, ¼ -inch thick, lightly toasted

¼ cup coarsely grated Gruyere

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they’re lightly caramelized.  Although the original recipe says that this would take 30 minutes, it really takes almost an hour. But you want to be patient, because the more slowly the onions cook and become light gold, the more flavorful they will be.  Add the white wine and cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add broth, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to low, partially cover pot and let the soup cook until onions are meltingly tender, about 40 minutes.  Remove and discard celery, then add sherry and cook another 5 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place six oven-proof soup bowls inside a large baking pan, then ladle soup in each bowl to fill about ¾ full. Arrange a slice of baguette on top of each bowl, sprinkle with approximately 1 tbsp of grated cheese and place in the oven.  Bake 5-6 minutes until cheese melts and bubbles a bit.  Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately.

* If you don’t have sherry, vermouth (either white or red) will do.

(Based on the recipe for Soupe à l’Oignon in La Bonne Soupe Cookbook by Jean-Paul Picot & Doris Tobias)