French onion soup...deliciously DOable!!

French Onion Soup
Butter or oil 2 oz.
Onions, julienne 2 lbs.
red wine 4 oz
brown stock 1 quart
chicken stock 1 quart
sachet (1 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs parsley, 1 tsp. dried thyme) tied up in cheesecloth & kitchen twine
round crouton (stale bread rolls)
Gruyere cheese (sliced or grated)
Method:
Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot until smoking hot. Add butter/oil and onions. Onions should begin to brown immediately. Stir with a wooden spoon until onions are deep brown, but not burnt. Don't let onions or the caramelized residue stick to the bottom of the pot. Add wine, let reduce by half. Add stocks, and sachet. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until soup is rich & flavorful, season to taste with salt & pepper.
For the croutons:
Use stale rolls, slice round slices about 1/4-1/2 inches thick. Brush with butter or oil and place on sheet pan. Toast in the oven @ 300 F until fully crispy and lightly browned.
For service:
Preheat broiler. For one portion, fill an onion soup crock to the top with soup (about 10oz). Place croutons on top of soup, cover with sliced cheese, and place bowl on small sheet pan. Brown the cheese under broiler, SERVE!!
The best french onion soups are cooked over many hours, but in class we made this soup in about 1 hour, and it was still delicious!!Obviously, we used homemade stocks. But, feel free to supplement your store bought stocks or broths with bouillon or stock base to beef up the flavor in store-bought products. I have also made this soup with canned beef consume or even canned french onion soup...add caramelized onions to anything...and it will be delicious!