French onion soup

My recipe for French onion soup!                                                       

                                                        by Eirini Voulgari

  Onion soup is one of the traditional dishes of French cuisine. It's a great comfort food now in the winter! 

    Τhis rustic soup has a very long history. It is said that the first person who invented it was the king of France Louis XV; one evening when he returned to his forest retreat he was very hungry, but there were only onions, butter and champagne available. So he used them to make soup.

    For centuries onion soup was a cheap food for the poor in France. When the croutons and the slices of grilled baguette with melted gruyere cheese were added on it, it became the classy Gratinee des Halles. 

Result: Since then it has been  served everywhere in winter, especially in those small, cosy restaurants in France, the bistrots. 

Ingredients (for 2 portions):

• 3 large onions cut into thin slices
• some fresh parsley for garnish
• 2 laurel leaves
• a clove of garlic, crushed and minced
• 4 cups of beef or chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons of dry white wine 
• a twig of fresh thyme or a teaspoon of dry thyme
• some freshly ground black pepper
• a few thin slices of gruyere cheese, or grated gruyere cheese (ideally; or some other mature cheese which melts when broiled)
• some baguette slices, or croutons
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• a tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour (to make the soup a bit thicker)
• salt (use only if the stock has not been salted)
• a level teaspoon of sugar

Preparation:

1. Put the oil in a skillet on medium heat and add the sliced onions.Turn them often until they become translucent. Sprinkle them with the sugar and mix. Then increase the fire and keep on mixing until the onions start turning into a honey-like brown. Continue turning the onions until they are caramelised.
3. Pour the wine and deglaze the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spatula.
4. Pour the stock and add the laurel leaves and the thyme. Cover the skillet with the lid.
5. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
6. Take half a cup of stock from the skillet and let it cool. Discard the laurel leaves and the thyme twig.
7. When the stock in the cup cools, put the flour in and dissolve it well with a spoon. Then pour the mixture in the simmering soup, increase the heat, and keep on mixing until it starts boiling. Then lower the fire and let it simmer for another five minutes while you keep mixing with a wooden spoon.
8. Cover some baguette slices with gruyere cheese and grill them.
9. Serve the soup hot in bowls or in large mugs after placing one or two grilled baguette slices with melted gruyere cheese on top. Alternatively, you can cover it with croutons. Garnish the soup with a little chopped parsley and serve!

2. Add the butter and the minced garlic and mix for some seconds.