I was really enthusiastic about making something classic, I had never done before.
Here’s the recipe:
French Onion Soup
2 lbs. yellow onions, peeled, halved lengthwise, then sliced thinly crosswise
2 Tbsps. oil
2 Tbsps. butter
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dried bay leaf or 2 fresh bay leaves
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
2 tsps. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¾ C. dry white wine (or red wine)
6 C reduced-sodium beef broth (48 fl oz.)
6 diagonal slices of baguette
½ lb. shredded Gruyère (or Comte or Emmental) cheese
2 Tbsps. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
Heat butter and oil in a heavy 4- to 5-quart pot. Add onions, thyme, bay leaves, sugar and salt. Stirring frequently, cook onions over moderate heat until they are very soft and deep golden brown, about 45 minutes. Add flour and pepper, and stir for 2 minutes. Add wine and stir for 2 more minutes. Add broth and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
While soup simmers, preheat oven to 350°F.
Arrange bread in 1 layer on a baking sheet and toast, turning over once, until completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove croutons from oven and preheat broiler. Put heat-proof soup bowls in a shallow baking pan.
Discard bay leaves and thyme from soup and divide soup among bowls, then put a crouton in each. Add enough shredded Gruyère to cover crouton, then sprinkle each with Parmigiano-Reggiano (if using).
Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.
I found that the onions took a bit longer, maybe because I kept them very low, so as not to burn. And I think it was a bit of a mistake to use red wine with chicken stock because the resulting soup was very purple. I added some yellow food color to make it look brown. The flavor was fabulous, rich, full of mellow onion and wine. We both really enjoyed it.

I figured if I put it in purple bowls it would look browner and I think it worked. No matter what the color, it was a delicious dinner.