Light French Onion Soup

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large thinly sliced Spanish onions
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4–8 (3/4-inch) slices French baguette
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°. Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt. Cover; cook 5 minutes. Uncover; add sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, 25 minutes or until onions are golden. Add flour, and reduce heat to medium-low; cook 1–2 minutes. Add sherry, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 1–2 minutes or until slightly reduced. Transfer to a saucepan. Add stock and pepper. Boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Add soy sauce.
• Place bread slices on a baking sheet; bake 7 minutes per side or until golden.
• Heat broiler. Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls. Top with 1–2 bread slices and 2 slices Gruyère. Broil 1–2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.