French Onion Soup Gratinée

Ingredients

• 3 lb yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 thick slices day-old baguette
• 8 oz Gruyère cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat and add the onions, salt and sugar.
2. Cook the onions uncovered, stirring every few minutes, until they collapse, give up their water and turn deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Lower the heat if they colour faster than that; the sweetness comes from time, not heat.
3. Stir in the garlic for a minute, then pour in the sherry and scrape the browned film off the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaf, bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Season to taste and fish out the herbs.
5. Toast the baguette slices until dry and firm on both sides.
6. Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, float a toast on each and bury it under grated Gruyère.
7. Set the bowls on a tray under a hot broiler until the cheese blisters and browns at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve straight away, warning everyone the bowls are screaming hot.

Notes