Onion Soup Gratinee

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the baguette into ½-inch slices, arrange the slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

Peel and slice the onions by hand or in a food processor. Brown the onions in a sturdy saucepan with the butter and corn or peanut oil over fairly high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should be golden brown, soft, and have a wonderful aroma. Add the chicken stock and the garlic (a little touch of garlic makes this soup taste more like my mother’s). Bring to a strong boil, then reduce the heat and cook at a gentle boil for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using the big-hole side of a box grater to create thick threads, grate the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange six rounded onion soup crocks with about a 1½-cup capacity on a cookie sheet. Place 6 to 8 toasted baguette slices in each of the bowls, and sprinkle 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cheese on top. Fill the bowls to the rim with the soup mixture, adding water or chicken stock if you don’t have quite enough liquid to fill the bowls completely. Just before putting the bowls in the oven, sprinkle about ½ cup of grated cheese on top of each. (You will notice that some of the bread will have risen to the top at this point, so you will have a bread base for the cheese.) Make certain that the cheese adheres to the rim of each bowl, pressing it around the edge with your thumb, so it will hold firm and melt there as it cooks. Let some of the cheese hang over the edge; it will form a crust. Place the tray in the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden, puffed, and crusty and the soup is very hot.