44. French Onion Soup Gratinee

I LOOOVE this one as well..it is so rich and (if I do say..) 10 times better than Panera's, and I love theirs! This recipe is very aesthetic and heartwarming.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced (I used just two regular white onions and it came out wonderful)
1 (48 oz) can chicken broth
1 (14  oz) can beef broth (I used about 7 cups of vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
1/2 cup red wine (I used Merlot, and mmmm!)
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs fresh parsley (2 tbsp dried parsley)
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves (2 tsp dried thyme)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 thick slices Swiss cheese, room temp
4 pinches paprika
Homemade Croutons:
8 slices sliced wheat break, cut into 16th (squares)
spray olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Stir in salt, red onions, and sweet onions.  Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and syrupy.
2. Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine, and Worcester sauce into pot.  Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot.  Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove and discard the herbs.  (I left all the herbs in loose and it came out great because I cooked it down all day).  3.Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper .  Simmer over low heat for 2-4 hours (adding additional water if needed) while preparing the croutons a little before serving.
For Croutons:
1.Spread bread cubes out on cookie sheet and spray to coat generously with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, stirring often to get all side crispy.
Back to Soup:
4.Preheat the oven broiler (will be hot already since you just baked the croutons).  Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet.  Fill each bowl 2/3 of the way with hot soup, cover top of soup with croutons, place a slice of Swiss over the tops, and broil for  5 minutes or until bubbly golden brown. 
5. Place a few croutons on top of toasted cheese and sprinkle with a bit of paprika.