French Onion Soup

We inaugurated our new oven with this delicious French onion soup. We had the best soups on our trip to Dublin. Thick, wholesome and hearty. I still remember that cold winter morning, walking into this little French Bistro near St Stephens green, ordering some onion soup and wine. The melting cheese oozing through layers of crunchy bread, the buttery wine onions. Back here, it's hard to find a restaurant which serves a good onion soup.

The recipe we tried tonight was near perfect. It was heaven. It took us not more than forty minutes.

You will need:
4 pink onions
2-3 cloves of garlic
4-5 tbsp butter
3 tsp flour (maida)
1 tbsp celery (i have the dried celery powder, but use fresh if possible)
4-5 cups stock (i used veg stock powder mixed in water)
1 cup white wine sherry
4 thick slices of baguette
4 tbsp of grated Gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper

Chop the onions and garlic and fry them in the butter. Keep the flame medium low, cos you don't want to burn the onions. Add salt and pepper and celery powder. Keep stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes, till the onions become soft and golden.
Add the maida and stir for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine and let it simmer till the wine evaporates, and then pour in the stock and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes and your soup is almost ready!

Pour the soup in the bowls.
Now, take four slices of bread and toast them in a preheated oven (200 deg C) Meanwhile grate your cheese. Once done, place the toasts over the soup and sprinkle the grated cheese, generously :)

Toss the bowls into the oven again for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts and turns golden brown and oozes through the bread down to the soup!