French Onion and Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup apple cider 
• 2  bay leaves 
• 0.8 teaspoon pepper black
• 6 cups lower-sodium beef broth 
• 0.5 cup madeira wine dry
• 1  pink lady apples peeled quartered cut into julienne strips
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 
• 0.5 ounce sourdough bread cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 ounces swiss cheese grated
• 3  thyme sprigs 
• 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
• 4 pounds onion yellow sliced

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• ladle
• oven
• broiler
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Continue cooking 50 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Add pepper, apple, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves; cook 3 minutes or until apples soften.
4. Add wine; cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
5. Add broth and cider; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Discard bay leaves; stir in vinegar.
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan; broil 2 minutes or until toasted, turning after 1 minute.
8. Preheat oven to 50
9. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 10 ovenproof soup bowls. Divide the croutons evenly among bowls, and top each serving with about 3 tablespoons cheese.
10. Place bowls on jelly-roll pan.
11. Bake at 500 for 8 minutes or until cheese melts.
12. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.