Mom's French Onion Soup

I'm not sure how I've made it through 32 years of life without ever having French Onion Soup, but as you can tell from the pictures above, I loved it! I think I shied away from it because the thought of eating a bunch of onions and mushy bread just didn't appeal to me, no matter how much melted cheese was on top! But I spent the weekend at my parents' house and my mom served this for dinner one night. It was absolutely divine! This is one of those recipes where the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. Served with a green salad, this made the perfect dinner for a cold winter night. I can't wait to make myself. In the meantime, I got the recipe from my mom and had to share it!

Mom's French Onion Soup

serves 6 as a main course, 10-12 as a first course

3 T butter

4 c yellow sweet onions, sliced (from 3-5 onions)

1 clove garlic, minced

10 c beef broth

1 t salt

1 freshly ground black pepper

1 crusty French baguette, thinly sliced

1 lb. Swiss cheese (Emmeuthaler, Gruyere, etc.), shredded

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions, stir occasionally, cook until onions are soft and a light golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange six soup bowls on a cookie sheet. Place 4-5 slices of bread in the bottom of each bowl. Fill bowls halfway with soup. Continue ladling in soup slowly until each bowl is evenly filled. Sprinkle cheese on top, without pushing cheese into the liquid. Gently press cheese all around the edges of the bowl, so that when the cheese melts, it forms a crust. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve with remaining bread slices and a green salad.