Arrrgh!!!

This is for Desiree.

White Wine Onion Soup

1/4 cup butter
6 cups sliced Bermuda onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup beef broth
2 cups dry white wine

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic and stir to coat. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with sugar, increase the heat to medium and cook uncovered until onion is a deep amber color, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, blend in flour, and stir 3 minutes. Add broths and wine. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover partially and simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Ladle into heated bowls and top with 2 slices of Gruyere Garlic Toast. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Gruyere Garlic Toast

10 ounce loaf French bread
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, halved
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound sliced Gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven 425 degrees. Arrange the bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until crisp and golden, about five minutes per side. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead to this point. Cool completely and store in an airtight containter.)

About 15 minutes before the soup is ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with foil. Arrange toast on prepared baking sheets. Rub surface of toast with cut side of garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with Gruyere. Bake until the cheese is lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately.

For stronger flavor, use 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of Gruyere. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over each slice of toast before second baking.

Notes: We prefer to reverse the amounts of beef and chicken broth, so that we use 5 3/4 cups of beef broth in our soup. If the soup is too strong to your taste, or you need to stretch it, you can add water. You can choose any white wine that you care to drink for this soup. Each type will give the soup a slightly different flavor. Personally, I don't care for chardonnay, so I don't put it in my soup.

Oven conversions for UK readers.

Thanks to my youngest sis for this recipe!