French onion soup gratinée

Ingredients

For 1 serving

• Onion250 g
• Beef broth450 ml
• Baguette50 g
• Gruyère40 g
• Butter8 g
• All-purpose flour5 g
• Thyme2 g
• White wine50 ml
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste

Contains: gluten, lactose, celery, sulphites,

In season: October – March

Method

1. Peel the onions, halve them and slice them thinly, about 3 mm, following the grain.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat, add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and a rich golden brown; if they stick, add a spoonful of water and scrape the bottom.
3. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute, then deglaze with the white wine over medium heat until the smell of alcohol has gone.
4. Add the thyme and the hot beef stock, bring to the boil and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until the soup has thickened slightly; season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile turn the oven on to grill or conventional at 220 °C.
5. Slice the baguette and toast the slices in a dry pan for 1–2 minutes per side, until golden; grate the Gruyère.
6. Pour the soup into an ovenproof bowl, lay the baguette toasts on top and cover them with the Gruyère.
7. Grill in the oven at 220 °C for 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden in patches; serve straight away with a grind of black pepper, taking care with the hot bowl.