French Onion Soup For The Winter Soul

Serves 4-6

3 pounds onions
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 cloves of garlic
1generous pinch of salt
a few good grinds of black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4-6 cups beef, veal, and/or vegetable stock, preferably homemade
2 cups red wine, preferably a burgundy, OR
2 cups beer, preferably a brown ale or stout (not chocolate)
1 baguette or other crusty bread
4-6 deli slices of cheese, OR
1/2 cup EACH of gouda, gruyere, parmesan & pecorino

Slice & segment 3 pounds of onions. Melt together the butter and olive oil in a large stockpot. Crush and peel the garlic. You don't have to mince it; it will caramelize and turn soft and sweet as it cooks. Caramelize the garlic in the olive oil and butter. Pour in the onions, season with salt and pepper, and stir around just until the onions are all coated in the olive oil/butter. Add in the fresh thyme and the bay leaf and let the onions caramelize, about 20 minutes. Once the onions are caramelized and have cooked down, pour in the stock, about 4-6 cups depending on whether you prefer your soup more onion-y or more soup-y. Then, pour in the wine or beer and simmer, uncovered, for at least an hour and as much as three hours, tasting occasionally to adjust the flavors. Meanwhile, slice down your bread. Stale bread is perfectly okay for this, just heat it up a bit in a warm (250ºF) oven first to soften it. Toast the bread; you can rub both sides with a cut clove of garlic first, if you like. You'll want 2 pieces of bread per person - one for the bottom of the bowl, and one for on top. If you're going for the mix of cheeses, grate together about 1/2 cup each of parmesan, pecorino, gouda, and gruyere. Alternatively, you can drape a deli-cut slice of cheese (emmentaler, gruyere) over the top of the bowls, but I like to do a grated mix. Get that ready, and set it aside. Preheat your broiler. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from the soup. Arrange your oven-safe individual serving bowls or coffee mugs on a baking tray with a thin lip. TO SERVE: drop a toast slice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle in the soup and cover with a second slice of toast. Then cover the toast with cheese. Be generous! You want the cheese to seal in the soup and drape over the edge of the bowl. Broil for a few minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbling on top. Garnish with a little fresh thyme, and serve. See the winning French Onion or Garlic Soup recipe from Food52 and many other recipes.