This thread is in response to a specific request.
I just found this recipe... Doesn't look too complicated. Thinking of trying it soon:
LINK
Classic French Onion Soup
Always serve this marvelous French country dish as a meal, lunch or dinner, with lots of salad and crusty French bread--hot to 8-12 people.
Ingredients
1 stick butter (8 Tablespoons)
8 cups onions, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons flour
3 quarts beef stock
1 Tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup brandy
1 teaspoon BV meat glaze (or kitchen bouquet, bovril, or oxo, in a pinch)--optional
grated Gruyere cheese
grated Parmesan cheese
French bread
olive oil
Preparation
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and add the onions, stirring constantly. cook for 5-7 minutes, until soft.
In the meantime, cut slices of French bread into 1/2 inch pieces and toast them at 350 degrees in the oven for about 15 minutes--until they are dry crusts.
When the onions are soft, sprinkle them with flour, stir, then add 2 cups of beef stock and stir until the mixture is thickened. Add the remaining stock, stir into 1 Tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and the brandy. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour to an hour. Add the meat glaze and taste for seasoning.
When you're ready to serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and cover each with a thick handful of Gruyere cheese. Top each with a piece of the toasted bread, which has been drizzled with olive oil. Sprinkle it with the Parmesan, then run them under a broiler for a few minutes and carry out to the table.