Why are the simplest recipes the ones people screw up the most?

A lot of us get caught up in trying to make simple, classic dishes into something unique, and “special”. And a lot of times the result is “special” all right… like that kid in your 3rd grade class who brought his lunch to school in his nose, or people who park like this:

jackass

Now don’t get me wrong, jazzing up a tired old classic is all fine and dandy, but sometimes I crave an old-school classic in it’s basic form.

To that end, Robyn and I decided to make her mom’s crave-worthy French Onion Soup recipe and capture the whole process in pictures.

Onions!

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

3 large onions- sliced

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 cans of beef broth

1 tbsp worcester sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

OXO to taste

1 mountain of cheese- Swiss, gruyere, mozza… whatever you like

butter = better

Melt the butter in a large pot and add sliced onions and sugar.

they start out looking like this…

Fry on low/med heat until caramelized. Stir often.

but if you’re patient, they will become this.

Add in beef broth and boil on medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.

hoping for an endorsement cheque from Campbells

Add worcester sauce, salt, and OXO.

Gently boil another 20 minutes.

looking good so far

Top either with toasted baguette, or use croutons like we did. ( croutons make it much easier to eat with a spoon)

everyone loves croutons!

Now we just need to smother it with cheese* and broil it in the oven for a few minutes. How much cheese? I usually portion out a reasonable layer that covers the bread completely. Then I double it. Seriously, don’t skimp on the cheese.

hmm, still needs more cheese

* swiss and gruyere are traditional, and in this case I used swiss. I use mozzarella often also.

Now comes the hard part….. the waiting.

oh, come on already!

And waiting.

Almost 5 minutes!?! Oh, the humanity!!

And the smell of the melting cheese brings you some unexpected attention.

I’m awful cute and deserve cheese

Ok, so maybe it’s totally expected.

And finally…

mmm, cheesy goodness