Baked Onion Soup w/ Gruyere and Swiss Crust

This soup is the absolute best on a cold night. This soup has to be my absolute favorite one of them all... The flavours of the cheeses and the onions and of course the brandy is UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE!!!!
I can remember when I was a little guy and my mom used to make this soup for us... I could eat bowls and bowls of this stuff (did she put the brandy in there?). When I visit my dad in Oshawa this is the one soup he loves to have at lunch. When you try it yourself you'll want it for lunch and dinner... maybe even breakfast! It's THAT good.


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Baked Onion Soup w/ Gruyere & Swiss Crust

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons oil
5 large onions, peeled and sliced thinly
½ cup brandy
 3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 cups Chicken Broth
Salt and pepper to taste
 4 slices slices multi-grain bread, cut into rounds to fit bowls, toasted
1  1/2 cups of each Swiss & Gruyere  cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:
1. Toss the butter, oil, onions and water into a large soup pot with a few pinches of salt.
2. Cover with a tight fitting lid and let the onions soften over a medium high heat, about 10 minutes.
3. When the water has evaporated, remove the lid, turn heat to low and begin to slowly caramelize onions, stirring frequently. This will take about one hour.

THE SOUP:
1. When the onions are a deep golden colour and have shrunk dramatically, add the brandy, thyme and broth.
2. Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat your oven's broiler. Ladle the soup into 4 onion soup or ovenproof bowls and fit a slice of toast over each bowl.
4. Sprinkle each evenly with the cheese and place bowls onto a baking sheet.
5. Place under the broiler and broil until the soup is bubbling and the tops are golden brown