Homemade French Onion Soup

I saw Vidalia onions from Georgia while out shopping and bought a bag of them.  They are my favorite of all onions.  I thought about making French Onion soup.  I decided to try caramelizing them in my crockpot overnight so I wasn't stuck stirring at the stove for hours.  I've done that many times but have never tried the crockpot method. I used 3 really large ones, probably about a pound each.  I peeled them, halved them and then cut them in thin slices.  I added 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.  I stirred until all the onions were coated and then put the crockpot on low for 12 hours.

After 9 hours, when we woke up, the house smelled wonderful.  I added in a shake of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Then I left the lid ajar so some of the liquid could cook out.  When the liquid cooked out, I added half a cup of extra dry vermouth to the onions and fresh cracked pepper.  I really liked the taste the vermouth added.

For the broth, I used organic "Better than Bouillon" 50% reduced sodium beef base.  I also added in a few sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 Gruyere cheese rind and some prime rib bones I had in the freezer.  I let the broth simmer for a couple of hours.  I removed all the herbs, rind and beef bone.  I added the onions.  I chopped the beef off the bones and put the meat in the broth.

I added in some fresh chopped parsley and bit more fresh thyme stripped from the stalks.  I seasoned with some Fleur de sel salt and fresh cracked pepper.  A couple of sips told me the flavor was on point and was very tasty.

I toasted some baguette slices which I rubbed with a raw garlic clove, before and after.

I set these over top the soup in the proper bowls, which I over-filled by mistake.

I forgot to buy Gruyere cheese so used Mozzarella and Parmesan Reggiano for the topping.

I baked for a half hour at 375°F on a baking sheet.

The soup was really delicious.  We both enjoyed it very much.  Not stressful to prepare at all and highly satisfying.  Anything with cheese and Vidalia onions in it is a win though, isn't it?