French Onion Soup With Gruyere Crountons

When I was living in Indian we never ever had soup, I think the first time I had soup was when I was a teenager and that too in Chinese Restaurant. And that time my favourite soup was Sweet Corn Soup, then later I jumped to Wonton Soup then I got married and came here and Hans loves soups.
Here we have a small bowl og soup every afternoon , if there is no soup I think I would go as fas as saying Hans would get depressed :-)
So I do make soup a lot at home, I make them in a whole bunch and keep in the fridge in a tupperware for three days and when I make  certain soup a bigger portions I freeze them in small portions so that there is always soup at home.
This Soup is totally different that the older Easy onion soup  I have posted. which I do make often as I always have onions at home and that one is so easy to make when I hav eno other vegetables to make soup.

But this one is a real luxury Onion Soup. And don't make it if you don't have enough time, as this one takes a while to make but sure worth it.It does take time to chop the onions, caramalize them etc..... and also a luxury one with wine and cognac etc... but the taste is just superb. Not to mentions the slices of bread with melted cheese.



Ingridients:
50 gm butter
2 tbso oilive oil
2 kg onions ( yellow/white ones, don't use the red onions)
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Sherry Vinegar ( I didn't have so i used raspberry vinegar)
1500 ml good beef broth ( I don't like beef broth so I usee good chicken broth, ofcourse you can use vegetarin broth too)
1 1/2 tbsp of flour
150 ml of dry white wine ( optional but it adds to the taste)
1 tbsp Cognac
Salt and balck pepper to taste

For the croutons
6 to 12 slices of thick baguttes ( if it is one day older it is better too)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp french mustard paste
125 gm grated gruyere

Heat the butter and oil in a big pan.
Add the onions and stir so that all the onions pieces are coated with butter and oil.
Fry them for 5 to 8 minutes  in a medium fire; till they get softer. Stir in between twice.
Add the thyme.

Non tirn the fire to low. And fry the onions for 20 to 30 minutes covering the pan with a lid, and inbetween making sure to stir otherwise you will burn the onions.

After 20 to 30 minutes remove the lid turn the fire a bit higger , add the sugar, and fry them for 5 to 10 minutes, till the onions turn brown.
Add the Vinegar and turn the fire huget. Fry the onions till they are dark brown. Stirring them regularly.
This wil take aprox 15 to 20 minutes.

In the mean time bring the broth to boil.
Add the flour to the onion mixture and bake for 2 minutes so that there is no flour taste.
Pour the boiled broth into the onion mixture and also add the cognac, peper and salt. Let the soip simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.

For making the croutons.
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Lay the slices of bagutte in a baking plate and toast them till they are brown.
Rub them with garlic , spread mustard paste and scatter with the chees and grill till the cheese is melted.
Ok that is what the recipe said in the book, for makign the croutons, but I just slices the bagutte, rubbed the garlic, spread the mustars and then chesse and staight grilled them till the cheese was melted.
For serving the spup, pour the soup in cups , topping up with 1 or 2 slices of the grilled baguttes and serve.