I Dream of French Onion Soup... And Cheese..... And Garlic......

How about a little of both (^_^).  I had this vision of a soup, a hot garlicky, oniony broth over mozzarella cheese.

First I would need caramelized onions, so I chopped half of a red onion, and tossed it in a pot over medium heat with two tablespoons of melted butter.  I stirred it ever so often until the onions were almost burnt, then added several tablespoons of minced garlic. 


Next, I tossed in about five or six cups of beef broth, a half or so cup of beer, an ancho, and a bay leaf, and left to simmer and reduce a bit for about a half hour or so.  At the end, I added a hit of worchestershire sauce, honey, and a couple of teaspoons of tomato paste.


I had the idea to have softish pieces of cheese in a strong broth, and have spent the last day or two pondering the idea.  I cubed some mozzarella cheese into 1 inch cubes, and put them into the bowls, and poured over the boiling hot soup.  In hindsight, I should have let the soup cool a bit, and used smaller cheese cubes.


But this turned out really well.  A strong beef soup, with some nice sweet onion and plenty of garlic flavor, and soft bites of cheese.