KEY POINTS:
Serves 4
50g butter
2 bay leaves
2 tsp fresh rosemary
3 brown onions
3 red onions
3 cups white wine
2 cups chicken, veal or vegetable stock
1 Tbs brandy
8 3cm thick rounds of sourdough
Gruyere cheese, sliced thinly
Pepper
1 Preheat oven to 180C. Using half of the butter, grease a baking dish (approximately 30cm x 20cm or big enough for the onions to form a well-packed layer) then slice the onions into rings. Lay in the dish and dot over the remaining butter. Add the bay leaves and fresh rosemary.
2 Pour over the wine, stock and brandy and bake for 2 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times.
3 Increase the oven temperature to 200C. Top the sourdough with the gruyere, lay on top of the onions and continue cooking for a further hour or until bubbling and golden. Turn off the oven then put 4 ovenproof bowls in to warm. After 5 minutes transfer the soup to the bowls (remove toast first and then place evenly on top of each filled bowl) and serve. Add a grind of pepper over the toast before eating.
