French Onion Soup

I was encouraged by my husband and my friend Emily to post a midway status update on my 23 Things in 2011 List.  This is when we realized that the year is actually 3/4 of the way through.  Oh snap.  Still, worth a revisit and you can see what I've made (and blogged about) to date by checking out the link above. 

All in all, I've only made 11 of the 23 things and even worse, only blogged about 4 (after this one) to date.  Where have you guys been to hold me accountable the rest of year?!  Now it looks like I have some serious work to make up on the back end of the year if I want to even come close to achieving all 23 items!

This French onion soup was exactly as I remember it being when I went to France last year.  My brother, the French onion aficionado gave it his stamp of approval, too.

This week, I'm going to post only things from the list to help me get caught up!  See the list for a sneak peek of what this week's posts may be ;).

Two Years Ago: Sausage, Onion, and Green Pepper Fra Diavolo

French Onion Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
• Pinch of sugar
• 2 leeks, including tender green portions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
• ¼ cup dry red wine
• 2 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Baguette slices, ¾-inch thick
• Sliced Gruyere cheese

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced red onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have wilted. Mix in the sugar and leeks and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are completely caramelized and dark in color (about 15 more minutes). Add the garlic to the pot and sauté just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken and beef broths and red wine, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer about 30 minutes. Discard the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Preheat the broiler with an oven rack in the upper-middle position. Portion the soup into oven-safe bowls or crocks placed on a baking sheet. Top each serving with two baguette slices, and layer with thin slices of Gruyere cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is browned and bubbly, 2-5 minutes. Cool a few minutes before serving.

Source: Originally from Williams Sonoma and The New Best Recipe as adapted by and as seen on Annie's Eats