Crockpot French Onion Soup

Instructions

1. Slice onions into rings. Heat butter in a large pot or frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onions until they become soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with sugar and reduce heat to medium low. Cook the onions until they have browned, stirring almost constantly. This will take about a half hour, but it is worth it, I promise!
2. After onions are browned, stir in garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute). Then add ½ cup of sherry (white wine or red wine both work here, I usually use whatever bottle is open in my fridge. I have never used sherry, but if you have some, use it!). Scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the onion mixture to your slow cooker. Pour in broth (chicken, vegetable or beef all work just fine!). Season with salt, thyme and bay leaf.
4. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or on high for 5-6 hours.
5. Before serving, slice baguette and toast in the oven on broil. (I’ve also used regular white bread in this case, but the baguette is better because it doesn’t fall apart as quickly). Shred the cheeses of your choice (mozzarella and parmesan are great, if you want to be more authentic you can use Emmental and Gruyere).
6. In ovenproof bowls, portion your soup and top with toasted baguette and cheese.
7. Put the bowls on a baking sheet and broil again until the cheese is melted and bubbling.