French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

· 2 tablespoons butter

· 2 tablespoons olive oil

· 4 large sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced

· Salt and pepper

· 1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

· 1 cup white wine

· 1 ½ cups beef stock

· 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

· ½ tablespoon molasses

· 1 teaspoon minced garlic

· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 4 slices (1-inch thick) French bread

· 4 thick slices of cheese, such as Smoked Gouda, Provolone, Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella, etc…

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, and season with salt, pepper and tarragon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden, about 15 minutes. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the onions, covered, for 20 minutes.

Add the white wine to deglaze the pot and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add the beef broth, balsamic vinegar, molasses, garlic and nutmeg. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce to medium low and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes.

Turn the broiler in your oven on low. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet and toast them for several minutes on each side.

Set 4 oven-safe bowls on the baking sheet and ladle the soup into the bowls. Lay the toasted bread on top of the soup. Top the bread with the sliced cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Yields 4 servings.

Adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen