French Onion Soup with Port Wine

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 whites onions , sliced into thin rings
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 1 pinch salt , plus more to taste
• 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper , plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 0.33 cups port wine
• 1 carton beef stock , 32 ounce
• 5 slices French bread
• 5 slices Swiss cheese
• 0.25 cups shredded Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt butter with olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic; season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook onion mixture in hot butter-oil until caramelized, stirring every 10 minutes to keep from browning too quickly, about 1 hour.

2. 2

   Stir brown sugar and thyme into caramelized onions; allow sugar to melt into onions, about 2 minutes. Pour in wine and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; continue simmering for 5 more minutes. Pour in beef stock; cook for 10 more minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven's broiler to high. Place 5 oven-safe crocks onto a baking sheet.

4. 4

   Ladle soup evenly into the crocks. Top each with a French bread slice; cover with a Swiss cheese slice and sprinkle with Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese.

5. 5

   Cook soups under the preheated broiler until cheese is melted and browned, 2 to 3 minutes.