Soup Weather

As I've said before, fall is my favorite time of year. In spite of busy schedules, our family still finds time to enjoy the fun parts of this season. One of the things we make time for is dinner together (most of the time), and one of our favorites when the temperatures start to dip is soup! French onion soup has long been one of our favorites, and it was requested by my girls tonight. It's rich, savory, and downright soul satisfying.  Cook yourself up a pot this weekend. You'll be glad you did!!

French Onion Soup

4-5 large yellow onions

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

3 cans beef broth, undiluted

3 cups water

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

6 to 8 French bread

2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

1 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere ( I've used smoked provolone too)

Peel and slice onions thinly. Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven then add onions and ground pepper. Saute onions frequently with a wooden spoon until onions are very tender and are a light golden brown. Sprinkle onions with flour and stir and cook 1 minute longer. Lower heat and gradually add beef broth. Stir in water and add bay leaf. Increase to high heat and bring to boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 30-40 minutes. 

Ladle soup into broiler proof soup bowls and place on a heavy duty baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Toast bread slices until they are golden brown. Arrange toast slices on top of onion soup. Do not push down into the soup. Sprinkle the toast with Parmesan and grated cheese. Place bowls under a preheated broiler. Broil the soup until the cheese is golden and bubbly. This takes a VERY short amount of time. DO NOT leave this unattended. It will burn to a crisp. Trust me. :) Serve immediately. 

**If you do not have broiler proof bowls, then bake oven proof bowls at 425 degrees until cheese is golden and bubbly.