Onion Soup
- 8 large onions (or 10-12 smaller onions), thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup port (or red wine, or white wine)
- 2 litres dark chicken stock (or the best store-bought low-sodium chicken broth you can find)
- Slab bacon (about 4-6 thick slices worth), cut into lardons
- 1 bouquet garni (4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, a few sprigs of parsley, and 2 bay leaves, tied in a bundle)
- salt and spepper
- baguette croutons (sliced and toasted in the oven)
- grated Gruyere cheese (real Gruyere, no cheaping out)
In a large pot or dutch oven, render the bacon over medium heat, to the desired doneness. Add the butter, and melt it until it begins to brown. Add the onions, with a bit of salt, and cook them until they are soft and browned, stirring occasionally. Make sure they're a nice, dark, even brown colour. This may take a while, but it's key.
Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the port/wine and the vinegar, scraping all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock, 2 cups of water, and the bouquet garni and bring to a boil.
Reduce to simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook for an hour. Remove the bouquet garni, ladle into bowls, add a couple croutons and add a good handful of cheese to the top of each. Put under a hot broiler until the cheese is well browned, and even burned around the edges. If your broiler sucks, a small torch would be great for this.
Serve, making sure not to spill one and burn yourself to death.