French Onion Soup

The other day, I drove to a nearby farm to look at a registered......

On second thought, I'm going to wait and elaborate on this when I go and pick up the animal I bought, which will be on this coming Saturday. This way I can include some pictures of it as well.  Pictures are always better.

Where I'm going to keep it yet I have not a clue.  There's going to be some moving around in the barn this week and figuring it all out.  But I will.

The chimney cleaners were also out on Monday to clean the chimney, which didn't happen, because it was too loaded with creosote and they'll have to come back another time with more equipment?  I'm not so sure about this company.  But the cold has not set in enough yet for the need of a fire so I'll be patient - for now.  I still need to order more slab wood too.

But it has gotten a bit chilly and is feeling more fall-like.  This makes me crave soup, and so I decided a pot of French Onion soup was in order and this Tyler Florence recipe was my go to for inspiration.  What follows is my version, modified slightly, using a little less butter and a little less wine, etc. It was still very rich and tasted amazing. Of course.

French Onion Soup

1/2 stick of butter
4 medium large onions, sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 tsp of dried thyme
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup of dry red wine
3 tsp of flour
2 quarts of quality beef broth
1 baguette or artisan loaf, sliced
1/2 pound of your favorite cheese: Gruyere, Swiss, Provolone, etc. ( I used Swiss)

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Rub the slices with the cut side of a piece of raw garlic. Cover the slices with the cheese and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float a cheese "crouton" on top. Serve immediately.

Happy "Last Day of September" ~A