French onion soup

by Ed Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 2kg brown onions, peeled
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ bunch thyme, chopped very finely
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 250ml brandy
  • 2L beef or vegetable stock
  • salt and ground white pepper
  • ½ baguette, sliced thinly
  • 200g Gruyere cheese
  • 1 tsp paprika

Instructions

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Slice the onions very finely, then combine in a large saucepan with the butter and sauté over a medium heat for 20 minutes, until the onions are very soft. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for a further 3 minutes.
2 Add the brandy and 500ml stock, and simmer until completely reduced, then repeat with another 500ml stock.
3 Add the remaining stock, season generously, and set aside. Ladle the soup into heatproof dishes, then sprinkle half the cheese over. Place the remaining cheese on top of the baguette slices, then bake both the soups and the baguette slice for 3 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bread has toasted. Serve with a sprinkling of paprika.