French Onion Soup

Begin by peeling then slicing the onions into rustic strips. Heat the olive oil and butter together in a stock pot on medium heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper and herbs de Provence to the stock pot and stir regularly, cooking until the onions are fully caramelized. They should be very, very soft and brown throughout. They may stick to the bottom of the pan at times and that is OK.

Once the onions are fully caramelized and golden brown, add the wine to the pan and continue stirring regularly until the wine is fully reduced. The onions will look dark red and there will be very little liquid in the pan. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir until it is incorporated. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook this mixture for about 5 minutes just to remove the raw flour taste. After 5 minutes, add the beef stock slowly, stirring as you go. Once it is all in the pot, turn your heat down to low and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.

To make the croutons, preheat your oven to 450 F. Slice the bagels into somewhat large bite sized pieces and arrange them in a baking dish. Drizzle them with the olive oil, tossing once or twice to make sure they get fully coated. Then sprinkle them with the salt, pepper and parsley, tossing again to make sure that they are evenly coated. Finish by sprinkling the Gruyere generously over the top of the croutons. Bake for about 10 minutes at 450 F, then lower the heat to 400 F and bake for another 10 minutes, or until they look browned and the cheese looks crispy.

Serve by ladling soup into a bowl and topping with 5 or 6 croutons. Both can be served immediately after cooking, but if you have leftovers store the croutons in a separate container from the soup.