Best French Onion Soup

Name: Best French Onion Soup
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons, unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces; 6 large, yellow onions (about 4 pounds), halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slices (see illustration below); , Table salt; 2 cups, water, plus extra for deglazing; 1/2 cup, dry sherry; 4 cups, low-sodium chicken broth (see note); 2 cups, beef broth; 6 sprigs, fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine; 1 , bay leaf; , Ground black pepper; 1 small, baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices; 8 ounces, shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

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Appears in Cook's Illustrated January/February 2008

SERVES6

TIME4¾ to 5¼ hours

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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

With too many onion soups, digging through a layer of congealed cheese unearths a disappointing broth that just doesn’t taste like onions. The ideal French onion soup combines a satisfying broth redolent of sweet caramelized onions with a s...

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