Soup's on

It is a cold and snowy night, snowflakes swirl and drift into a deep snowfall as I head out for a late night barn check.   The night is silent, all sound muffled by this white blanket.  This is the first snow of the season and it is beautiful.  The dogs walk in the tire tracks, root in the snow and roll over  making me laugh out loud.   They are covered in snow.   The horses all get a fat flake of hay and fresh water, the barn doors closed against the drifting snow, and I hurry back from the barn and head into the kitchen as it is a perfect night to make some soup.

I am making French Onion soup which will not be ready to serve for a day or two, as it takes time for the flavors to enhance.  This is one of my favorite winter soups to serve with a tossed salad.  I prepare the onion mix by baking it in a cast iron dutch oven.  You will need a 5 quart size Dutch Oven for this recipe.  I prefer cast iron.

Soup Ingredients:

• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into  pieces
• 7 large yellow onions, cut in  half, cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slicees
• 1 cup water, plus extra for deglazing
• 2  10.5 oz. cans Campbell's chicken broth
• 1 can 14.5 oz. Swanson beef broth, low sodium, no fat
•  2 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine or sprinkle of dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

1. Heat  oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray the inside of  the Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Add the onions and top with slices of the  butter.  Cook in covered dutch oven  for 1 hour.     Remove the pot from the oven and stir, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot.  Return the pot to the oven with the lid barely ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown.  Stir every 30 minutes and cook for about  another 1 1/2 hours
3. Remove pot from oven and place over medium heat.  Stir frequently scraping  pot until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Reduce heat if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in 1/4 cup water and cook until water evaporates.  Repeat process of deglazing , adding about 1/4 cup of water 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.
5. Stir in the broth, 1 cup of water, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to taste.
6. Increase heat to high and bring  to simmer.   Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs.   You can sweeten to taste with a teaspoon of sugar. (optional).    Refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving for best flavor.

When ready to serve, top with baguette slices that have been baked in a 400 degree oven until bread is crisp and golden at edges.   This takes about 10 minutes.   Top each bowl of soup with 1-2 baguette slices and sprinlke with Gruyere cheese.   You can broil these to melt the cheese,  leaving about 6 inches from broiler, until the cheese melts.