French Onion Soup

Ingredients

5-6 Cups Yellow Onions, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)

1 Tbs Cooking Oil

2Tbs Butter

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt

3 Tbs Rice Flour

6 Cups Beef Stock (preferably homemade) - Swanson's is Gluten Free

1 Cup Wine (red or white) - I used Yellow Tail Reisling

1 Bay Leaf

1/2 tsp Ground Sage

Salt and Pepper

12 ounces Swiss Cheese, Sliced

12 ounces Provolone Cheese, Sliced

Croutons:  Heal ends of Udi's bread

1. 
   
   

   Directions:  Place heavy bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat.  I used an enameled cast iron dutch oven and it worked beautifully.  Add 1 Tbs cooking oil,and 2 Tbs butter to the pot.Add sliced onions and stir until they are evenly coated with the oil.  - I sliced my onions on the mandolin though next time I believe I will opt for the food processor.  By the end of the slicing my eyes felt like they were full of fire.  Cover and cook 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 and 1 tsp salt and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently until the onions have browned and reduced significantly.
3. Once caramelized, reduce heat to medium-low and add 3 Tbs rice flour to the onions.
4. 
   
   Brown the flour for about 1-2 minutes trying not to scorch it.
5. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Stir in about 1 cup of warm stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all of the cooked-on bits.  Add the rest of the stock, wine, sage, and bay leaf to the soup.
6. Simmer for 30 minutes.
7. To make the croutons, heat oven to 325 degrees F.
8. Drizzle each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet.
9. Cook the croutes for 15 minutes in oven on each side (30 minutes total).  Once it was finished I cut the bread into bite sized pieces.  Check the soup for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.  Remove the bay leaf (if you can find it).
10. 
    
    
    
    
    

    At this point you could transfer to a casserole dish.  The dutch oven I was using worked quite nicely to transfer directly to the oven.  Place the toasted bread in a single layer on top of the soup.  Layer the cheese over the top of the soup.  Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  Turn on broiler and brown cheese well. 
11.