French Onion Soup

This soup takes quite a while to cook (2 hours!?) but completely worth the wait. Who doesn't love a good french onion soup? We went to Les Faux Bourgeouis for our anniversary recently and had their french onion - they added yummy bacon to theirs - nice!

makes 4 main dish servings, or 2 dinners and 2 lunches! 

3 tbsp butter
7 med onions, each cut lengthwise in half and thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
4 slices (1/2 in thick) french bread
4 oz. gruyere cheese, shredded

1. In nonstick 12-in skillet, melt butter over med. heat. Add onions and salt; cook, stirring occasionally till onions very tender and begin to caramelize, about 45 minutes (I know, I know, but have faith! It's worth it!) Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring frequently, till onions are golden brown - bout 15 min longer.

2. Transfer onions to a 3-qt saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour water from skillet into saucepan with onions. Add broth, thyme, and the remaining 3 1/2 c water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until onions are very tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450º F. Arrange bread slices in single layer on cookie sheet; bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

4. Place four 2 1/2 cup ovenproof bowls (we used Colin's dad's bachelor bowls that he brought over from Denmark in the 70s) in a pan for easier handling. Ladle soup into bowls and top with toasted bread, gently pressing toast into soup. Sprinkle with cheese and bake till melted and beginning to brown, about 12-15 min.