French Onion Soup

What better way to enjoy a snowy winter night than with a steaming bowl of french onion soup?

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and oil together.  Add the onions and saute until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and 1 teaspoon salt and turn up the heat a bit. Keep sautéing until caramelized (they will turn a rich brown color and reduce significantly).  Add flour and stir for 2-3 minutes (add more butter here if needed).  Add one cup hot stock and scrape the bottom for all of the caramelized bits. Add the rest of the hot stock and the white wine, and bring to a boil.  Lower temperature and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Ladle soup into ovenproof bowls, top with toasted bread (I cut mine into smaller pieces like croutons), and top with Swiss and Parmesan cheese.  Pop in the broiler until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

We got a fair amount of snow here in Baltimore, so after we enjoyed some hot soup, we  bundled our pup up and let him play in it for over an hour!  He was in heaven (and he looked so dapper in "his" scarf)!