French Onion Soup

• 5 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced5 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 2 pats of butter2 tbsp unsalted buttera glug of olive oil2 tbsp olive oil — use in place of the butter for the same rich sear
• a splash of olive oil1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced3 garlics, minced
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves stripped
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine1/2 cup dry white wine
• a heaping spoonful of flour1 tbsp all-purpose floura heaping spoonful of gluten-free flour1 tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour — whisk in well so it doesn't clump
• 6 cups of vegetable broth6 cups vegetable broth
• 8 thick slices of baguette8 baguettes8 thick slices of gluten-free baguette8 gluten-free baguettes — toast a touch longer so it crisps up
• a big handful of grated gruyere per bowl2 cups gruyere, grateda big handful of dairy-free cheese shreds per bowl2 cups dairy-free cheese shreds — pick a melty variety so it browns under the broiler
• salt to tastesalt, to taste
• black pepper to tasteblack pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a good pinch of salt, then stir to coat.
2. Cook the onions, stirring every few minutes, for 25 to 30 minutes until they turn soft and deeply golden-brown. Lower the heat if they start to scorch and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.
3. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine (or a splash of broth) and let it simmer off, scraping the pot clean, about 2 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute, then pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Heat the broiler. Lay the baguette slices on a tray and toast under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes per side until crisp.
6. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls. Float a couple of toasts on each and pile the gruyere on top.
7. Broil the bowls 2 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned at the edges. Serve hot with a little extra thyme.