Henri's French Onion Soup (Vegetarian Style)

French Onion Soup has to be my FAVORITE soup in the world and whoever Henri is, we need to thank him for this FANTASTIC recipe!! Although it is a Vegetarian recipe, you CANNOT tell!! You still get all the great flavor as if you did use a meat based stock. So If you're having company over, double or triple this recipe because it only serves 6 which means ALL MINE!! 

Ingredients: 

• 3 pounds yellow onions, cut into 1/8-inch pieces 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more as needed 
• 1 pinch sugar 
• 8 cups water , plus more as needed 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
• 1 sprig fresh thyme 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1 baguette , crusty
•  8 ounces Gruyère cheese- (slice it thick and put it over the crock)  the cheese will melt mostly into the soup and a little over the sides, creating a thick even layer, making it picture perfect! 

Directions: 
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Toss to evenly coat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Take the cover off, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. I cooked mine for a little less than 90 minutes.

At this point, stir every 5 minutes and add water (a tablespoon at a time to loosen up the dark brown stuff that forms on the bottom of the pan). Continue to cook until the onions are an even dark brown color, an additional 30 minutes longer or so. Add the flour and stir for two minutes.

Add 8 cups water and thyme to the onions and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add white wine and simmer 10 minutes longer. Add salt to taste.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees and adjust a rack to the upper middle position. Cut the baguette into 3/4 inch slices and arrange on a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until the bread is dry, about 10 minutes. Remove bread slices and set aside. Heat broiler and place 6 heatproof bowls in a baking sheet. Fill each bowl with about 2 cups soup. Top each with two baguette slices and evenly distribute cheese slices over the bread. Broil until well browned and bubbly, about ten minutes. Cool for five minutes before serving.

adapted from The Curvy Carrot