Ooh, La, La

While I was on my French General kick this month I started to think about what to do with this basket of onions from our CSA share.  Scrounging around in my kitchen tonight on our four thousandth snow day I was struck by inspiration...  French Onion Soup!  Here's my recipe if you'd like to make your own:

French Onion Soup 
1 stick of butter
1 lb. onions, peeled and corsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp. sugar
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 bottle red wine
2 quarts of beef broth
french baguette, cubed and toasted
8 oz. grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese

I was a little concerned about peeling all these onions but if you just drop them in boiling water for 2 minutes then put them in an ice bath you can cut off the end and pop the skins right off.  Once you've removed all the skins coarsely chop the onions.  Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, sugar, thyme and bay leaf to the pan and let the onions caramelize for about 30 minutes.  

Add the worcestershire sauce, wine, and beef broth.  Reduce heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put the soup in oven safe bowls and top with croutons and grated cheese.  Broil it until the cheese is all nice and melty.

Yum...  the perfect meal for a cold, snowy, New England night!!!