Classic Onion Soup with Gruyere

This is a great onion soup recipe from Food Network courtesy of Robin Miller, 2007.  We don't use the broiler to melt the cheese, just top it with cheese and let the warm soup melt it for us.  

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large yellow or Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup port wine (we use 4 oz. of beer or red wine in place of port, but this is optional)
• 6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 4 slices sourdough baguette, about 1-inch thick and lightly toasted
• 8 slices Gruyere cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and preheat broiler.

Melt butter and oil together in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar and cook 10 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown. Add thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add port and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Add broth and Parmesan rind and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Place bowls on a baking sheet. Place reserved bread rounds or a sourdough round into each bowl and top bread with Gruyere cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.