It has been my experience that the difference between mediocre onion soup and really good onion soup is in the time and care taken to cook the onions. For truly great onion soup, the onions must be slowly and gently caramelized. When the onions are allowed to reduce to this golden mushy mess, the soup tastes mellow and rich. If the onions aren’t allowed to caramelize properly, the soup tastes raw. (Not anything Julia would allow in her kitchen, that’s for sure!) Or so I’ve heard.

And no, I never did get to watch Julia on TV. I helped raise 4 kids and worked full time. So when I wasn’t working (outside the house) I was working (inside the house) or in the yard, which is also (outside the house), but you catch my drift. I was basically on duty 24/7! Did I have time to sit down and watch a TV cooking show? Are you smoking something I should know about? Of course I didn’t have time. I was just happy when the sheets were all clean after stripping all 5 beds! (Working mothers take our small victories where we can get them!) So my early experience with a cooking mentor was not Julia Child, it was Betty Crocker.

Most evenings Betty and I would cozy up together after all the children were in bed, and I had a spare 5 minutes to read by myself. And oh how I loved our time together. I could plan what I was going to cook the next evening in the peace and quiet of a home that until 30 minutes before had been a haven for hellions. (Not that my kids were always hellions, but they certainly had their moments.) But after they went to bed all freshly bathed and their young brains filled with a few adventures to ponder from the books I read to them, or the stories I invented for them (flying turtle stories), I could finally relax. That is, between more loads of laundry of course. And dream of a time when I could study cookbooks and recipes all day long if I so chose.

Well that day has come. (Actually that day came quite a few years ago.) But even 12 years later, it still feels just wonderful to awaken on my own without an alarm clock going off in my ear. And know that my computer is waiting for me with all its funny little blue lights excitedly flickering on and off in anticipation of our time together surfing the internet.

So next time you are in the mood to fix something you read about on the internet, give this delicious soup a try. Consider this recipe for a French classic dish a gift from another French “wannabe” classic. Me!

• 2 T. butter
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 yellow onions thinly sliced (about 2 lbs.)
• ½ tsp. sugar
• 1 c. red wine
• freshly ground black pepper, not too much
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 good sized or 2 small bay leaves
• 3 T. flour
• 8 c. beef broth or stock
• 1 T. cognac, opt.
• baguette slices
• 1 whole garlic clove, peeled
• 2 c. grated cheese (a combination of Parmesan and Gruyère is perfect)

Melt the butter in a large, heavy covered soup pot. Add the olive oil and onions and cook over medium low heat until the onions are caramelized and a lovely golden brown, about 45 minutes. Stir often. (The onions will really start to stick to the bottom of the pan when they are nearly done, so watch them very carefully.) Add the sugar about half way through the cooking process. Add the red wine, black pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook until the wine is mostly evaporated. Add the flour and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring the whole time. Add the beef broth, bring to just under a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let simmer for about an hour. Adjust seasoning. (I usually remove the cover after about 30 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate. Makes for a bit thicker soup.) And don’t worry if your beautiful golden brown onions turn back to the color of newly fallen snow as they simmer away. That is just the nature of these little darlings when confronted with a warm bath of beef stock. (I don’t like it either. I think they should stay the lovely golden brown I worked so hard to achieve! But alas, that is just not going to happen.)

Meanwhile toast the baguette slices in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until a nice light golden brown. (Toast both sides.) While still hot, rub one side of the toast with the whole garlic clove. (The rough surface of the toasted bread will act as a grater and the garlic will melt into the bread.) Cover each slice with cheese and return to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

When ready to serve the soup, remove the bay leaf and stir in the cognac. You can either place a couple of baguette slices in each bowl before you serve the soup, or float them on top of the soup, or simply serve them on the side.