BEST EVER FRENCH ONION SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large pan and cook the onions with 1 teaspoon of salt for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring often, until caramelised.

  Add the garlic and thyme, then the white wine, and simmer until the wine has evaporated. Add the stock to the pan and simmer the soup, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

  Towards the end of the simmering time, preheat the grill to high. Lay the slices of bread on a baking sheet and grill on one side only until toasted. Remove from the grill, turn over and sprinkle the untoasted sides with grated Gruyère.

  Check the soup's seasoning and adjust if necessary, then pour into heatproof bowls. Top each serving with a slice of cheese-topped baguette and scatter over a few small thyme sprigs.

  Place the bowls under the grill until the cheese on the bread is bubbling and golden brown.

Steps:

• Melt the stick of 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. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.
• Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.