What could be better on a cold Winter's night than a bistro-themed spread: a French onion soup, quiche, and maybe tart tartin.

And what would a French onion soup be without a toasted crouton, a sop? Sops are used for soaking up a warm liquid, broth, or wine and were the term used in days of yore. I guess it was only natural that the word soup derived from sop.

In my Five Onion Soup, the mixture of five onions gives an excellent character to the soup. But, if you have less than five, no sweat; use a sweet onion, and you'll have a tasty version. The so-called bar of success in making an onion soup is all the slow cooking and gradual 'caramelizing' of the onions. The onions' natural sweetness adds the rich, robust flavor and golden brown color, the soup prize.

CREAMY FIVE-ONION SOUP

Makes 6-8 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

This easy-to-prepare hearty soup for a cool night makes for a wonderful dinner or rustic appetizer.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 each sweet onions*, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

6 each Chipolini onions, chopped

1 each red onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

Optional:

1/2 cup half and half

French bread croutons

Parmesan, Emmental, or Gruyere cheese

Preheat a large soup or saucepot to medium heat. Add olive oil, sweet onions, garlic, cipollini, red onion, and green onion. Cook for 10 minutes without stirring until the onions in the bottom of the pot begin to brown. Stir and allow the onions to continue to brown further. Stir and allow onions to cook for an additional five minutes. The total cooking time of onions will be about 20 minutes or more.

Season with thyme, bay leaves, and pepper. Add tomato sauce and flour, and stir. Add white wine and cook for 5 minutes or until dry. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Remove bay leaves, then puree one-half of the soup in a blender or food processor.

Return the pureed soup back to the soup pot. Bring soup back to a boil; reduce the temperature to a simmer. Add optional half and half. Serve with a toasted French bread crouton, top with grated Parmesan, and melt Emmental or Gruyere cheese. SEE SOUP NOTES + MORE RECIPES BELOW