French onion soup

I bought some great little soup bowls recently that are oven safe. For the longest time I hadn't had anything soup-sized that is oven safe, so when making things like French onion soup, I would have to bake the whole thing in a larger bowl, and then serve it from there. That wasn't ideal for a soup like this, which needs to have the maximum amount of cheesey goodness. According to the Kitchn.com, French onion soup is the sexiest of soups. Valentine's day seemed like a good time to test out the new bowls. I made exactly enough for the two of us (not on purpose, but I'm glad it worked out like that) and used some bread I made when making pretzels the other day. I used a mini loaf pan about half full of the same dough as the pretzels, and baked the loaf about half an hour until dark and crusy. Toasted, it was a perfect vehicle for the cheese. 

French onion soup for two

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

2 onions, cut in half and then into thin slices

1 t thyme

a few grinds of pepper

3 c beef broth (or chicken, or vegetable)

salt

4 thin slices of gluten-free bread

1 c grated gruyere cheese

Melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat in a small soup pot. Add the onions and reduce the heat a little, then add thyme and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned and caramelized. Add beef broth and stir, scraping anything up from the bottom. Cook 10-15 minutes, then taste for salt. Toast your thin slices of gf bread on each side. Preheat the broiler, and divide the soup between two oven-safe bowls. Top with two slices of bread each, then top with cheese. Place bowls under the broiler and cook until cheese is bubbling and starting to brown. Serve immediately.