Rich and Simple French Onion Soup

Ingredients :
* 1/2 cup unsalted butter
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 cups sliced onions
* 4 (10.5 ounce) cans beef broth
* 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* salt and pepper to taste
* 4 slices French bread
* 4 slices provolone cheese
* 2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(serving for 4)

Directions :
Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven broiler.
Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

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French Onion Soup Gratinee

Ingredients :
(serving for 4)
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
* 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
* 1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
* 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
* 1/2 cup red wine

* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 2 sprigs fresh parsley
* 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 4 thick slices French or Italian bread
* 8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature
* 1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature
* 4 pinches paprika

Directions :
Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.
Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.
Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.
Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.
Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

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