3 pounds mixed onions, chopped thick (i.e. red, Spanish white, yellow, etc.)
4 ounce (1 stick) butter
6 ounce double or triple boch beer (Samuel Adams is one of the better-rated bochs) **
1 lb. bread, broken into medium chunks
Chunks and slices of Swiss, Gruyere, or Monterey Jack cheese (a mildly sharp cheese should be okay)
32 ounce (1/4 gal) beef stock and 32 ounce chicken stock
OR
64 ounce (1/2 gal) veal stock (preferred)
** If the boch is not in season when preparing this, use a strong Stout instead. The beer you use should have a distinctive strong flavor.
Serves 8 to 12 hungry people
Pour stock into large pot. Heat until boiling and then simmer. In large pan, melt the butter then add onions. If not all of the onions will fit into the pan at once, make two batches and split the butter accordingly. Fry the onions until medium brown and an obvious aroma is detected. *Do not* clean the pan and put onions into already simmering stock. Without cleaning the pan, pour the 6 ounce of beer. Heat on low until the alcohol starts to burn off and “scrape” the residue from the onions into the beer solution. Let the solution sit on the heat for several minutes, until even darker and more aromatic. Add only enough of the beer solution to the rest of the soup according to your taste. I gave 6 ounce because this is usually sufficient, but you may prefer less. Add seasonings to soup according your taste. For example, I prefer ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and a little salt — no big deal. Preheat oven to broil (500F or 260C). Let soup sit on low heat to give the flavors a chance to fuse together… this should not take too long. Keep tasting the soup to judge as to when it’s done! Place chunks of bread into oven-safe bowls. Pour soup into bowls and layer the cheese on top of soup, completely covering the soup.
In heated oven, set the filled bowls until cheese is lightly brown (or hey, dark brown, depending on your taste). This usually takes only about ten minutes but this will depend on the type of cheese you’re using. Keep an eye on it.