Marie's French Onion Soup

Paul recently reminisced about his Mom's French Onion Soup, so I asked for her recipe. It's largely made from Julia Child's recipe, but with some alterations. It was great on this cold winter day.

Ingredients:

• 5 -6 cups yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used coconut oil)
• 2 tablespoons butter (but have 4 Tablespoons on hand if possible)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon sugar (Truvia for baking)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 cup wine (dry red or white, I used Pinot Grigio and enjoyed it)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 6-12 ounces Swiss cheese (sliced or grated)
• 4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 -3 tablespoons cognac
• 8-12 slices French bread, about 1 inch thick (We're partial to sourdough)- plan on 1-2 croutes per serving, depending on your bowls or ramekins. Or if you love bread like me - double the croutes and fill your bowl with bread before adding soup!  :-)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, for toasting bread

Directions:

1. Heat a large Soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, 2Tbs butter to pot. Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil. Cover and cook on medium low for about 20 minutes until they are very tender and translucent.
2. To brown or caramelize the onions turn heat under pot to medium or medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp sugar or sugar substitute and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly (this took about another 20 minutes, but I may have had the burner too low)
3. Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbsp.p flour to the onions. Brown the flour for about 2-3 minutes trying not to scorch it. (I added another 2 Tbsp. butter here).
4. Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits. If your pan is non-stick to begin with - it shouldn't be an issue. Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup. Simmer for 30 minutes, while preparing the croutes.
5. To make the "croutes" (toasted bread), heat oven to 325 degrees F. Drizzle or use a pastry brush to apply olive oil to both sides of the bread slices. Place on parchment paper on a baking tray, and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes each side. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add 1/2 slice of Swiss, 1 slice of provolone or a slice of gruyere. Remove from the oven when the cheese is melted and bubbly.
6. Check the soup for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired. Remove the Bay leaf.  Add a few ounces of the Swiss cheese directly into the soup and stir. Add the 2-3 Tbsp. cognac.
7. Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with cheesy croutes. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and allow cheese to melt. Enjoy!