Sandra Waugh's French Onion Soup

I first sampled this authentic French Canadian recipe (taught to me by an anglophone from Quebec) as a teenager. I had been out tobogganing with two of the Waugh children and about 15 other youths and the Waugh family had us all back to their home afterwards where Mrs. Waugh had cooked up a huge vat of this soup. It was delicious!

Mrs. Waugh graciously shared her recipe with me, and it has been in high demand at my dinner parties ever since.



Ingredients:

• 3 huge Spanish-type onions
  
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 1.8 litres beef broth
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 bunch spring onions
  
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
  
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 cup dry wine
  
• freshly baked bread
  
• freshly grated mozzarella cheese
  
• freshly grated Swiss cheese

Directions:

Slice Spanish onions thinly.


Sauté onions in butter until onions turn soft and translucent.


Peel papery skins from garlic and slice cloves thinly.


Wash and slice spring onions.


Combine sautéed onions, garlic, spring onions, beef broth, corn starch, sugar and black pepper in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and heat to boiling, stirring frequently to combine flavours and keep the onions from burning on the bottom of your pot.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for one hour or more.
Add wine during last half hour of cooking.

To serve:

Place thick slices of fresh bread in the bottom of oven-proof bowls.
Pour soup over bread to fill bowls.
Top with grated cheeses.
Grill under the broiler for a few minutes to brown cheese.
Serve immediately (on a trivet or other heat proof mat!)