I love good french onion soup. The problem is that most of it is so broth heavy with minimum onions (that aren't caramelized properly), and covered in melted goo that's supposed to be cheese, and so much salt that I feel my blood coagulating just looking at it. So, I really haven't tried to make it.

That changed when I watched one of my favorite You tube channels where the cooking is done in an 18th century replica kitchen, with recipes from cookbooks from the period. The big thing about this was that it was simple. I then double checked with another channel, then another...and finally decided to keep it simple, because there are SO many versions of this that can drive you batty.
So, without further ado;

French Onion Soup with Milk

Makes 3-5 servings.

Ingredients

3 Large Yellow Onions (Softball size)
3, 4, or 5 cloves of garlic, sliced thin. (Ok…6 for me – your choice)
3 Cups Whole Milk, room temperature
1 1/2 Cup Water (or beef broth)
Butter (4-6 tbsp, divided
Flour (About 1/8 – 1/4 cup depending)
Salt (1 Tsp)
Pepper (1/8 cup)
Chives (about a 1/4 cup…I wanted something green in this)
Croutons/Dried garlic bread
Finely shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions

1. Peel the onions and cut them in half, then slice them into thin strips (Julienne).

2. Heat a good sized pot on the stove, and add about a tablespoon of butter. Let it melt and then add your onions – the goal here is to caramelize them so it’ll take from 45 minutes to an hour. Add some salt to help draw the water out, but don’t rush and don’t let it burn.

3. Once the onions are nice and gooey and brown from the caramelization, add a tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Start adding your flour to make an onion-y roux depending on how thick you want your soup (I went full bore of 1/4 cup). Mix this up until you have a nice sticky mess. Add your pepper (Normally to taste – I added about a healthy tablespoon as well as a half teaspoon of salt).

4. Slowly work the water into the mix. Once all the water is added and worked through the soup, bring the heat up to a simmer. When it’s at a simmer, cover and let work for about 15 minutes. Turn the heat down and remove the pot to a pot holder to cool down.

5. Let the soup cool a little bit but not cool down – the goal here is to bring it back up to temperature but not cracking the milk (curdling). Put the pot back on the stove at medium heat and slowly start working the milk into it, stirring continuously, as you bring it back up to a simmer. When it gets close to the simmer, add the chives and let them get to know the mix (Dried chives will start to look more plump)

6. Remove from heat and serve with croutons, dried baguette, garlic bread – something to soak in nicely and give a crunch. Top with your favorite shredded cheese, preferably something melty. I keep Gruyere around, which is a nice compliment to the flavor.