Ah French Onion Soup. I have never been a fan of this soup but it is one of my dad’s favorites. I remember him ordering a big crock of it but I was too turned off by the smelly cheese to ever try some. When John mentioned it was his favorite soup I knew I had to try it. Okay, he might have mentioned it more than once and I finally got around to it. But I still had that vision from my childhood about smelly socks that was hard for me to get past.I had been planning to make this for a few weeks until it actually happened. As it turns out, it was a night that John and I looked up, it was late and I hadn’t even started THINKING about dinner. On nights like that (why do we always have so many nights like that, anyway?), Rachael Ray is always my go-to for recipes.This recipe was perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. Originally, I wanted to make a recipe that took a lot longer, but I was glad we went with the quick version for the first try. Plus, John gets grumpy when he’s really hungry.

And even though John said it wasn’t as good as its slow-cook counterpart, he admitted it was completely delicious. I agreed. Now that I’m old enough to actually enjoy smelly cheese, it was a great dinner!

French Onion Soup (adapted from here)
Serves: 4
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons salted butter
6 onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry red wine
6 cups beef stock
4 thick slices french bread, toasted
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions. Season with thyme, salt, and black pepper. Cook onions until fully caramelized (about 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Add bay leaf, red wine and deglaze the pan. Then add the beef stock. Let the soup come to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes. Preheat the boiler to high. Place the soup in four crocks or ramekins. Top with toasted bread and cheese. Broil for about 2-3 minutes, until cheese melts and is browned. Serve immediately.

Until the next time my oven is on…