French Onion Soup

Sauté the onions in the butter and olive oil over moderately low heat for several hours until nice and golden and the liquid has all cooked away. Be patient, there isn’t much else in this soup, so you really want to develop the lovely onion flavor. They will take a while to cook, but it will be worth it in the end.

Meanwhile, a bit before the onions are done, heat up the broth in a large pot and add the bay leaf.

Once the onions are done, add them to the broth and bring to a simmer.

Deglaze the onion pan with the red wine and then toss that in with the broth. Add salt to taste. Keep the soup warm until ready to serve.

Top each slice of bread with a bit of cheese, enough to cover it. Put under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Place a toast on top of each bowl of soup immediately before serving.