Soup's On!

A friend of mine wanted this recipe, so I figured if I was going to type it up to send it to her, I might as well share it here!

The Ultimate French Onion Soup
This is a Tyler Florence Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick), softened
4 onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 fresh thyme sprigs
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flower
2 quarts beef broth (I use low sodium)
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Gruyere cheese (sometimes I substitute Swiss)
chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat , and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer and brush with the softened butter. Sprinkle the slices with the cheese and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. (It takes my broiler about a minte, so be careful!)

Ladle the soup into bowls and float some of the cheese croutons on top. Garnish with chives.