French onion soup

Grind the Provençal Rub in a pestle & mortar or spice grinder. Halve the onions and slice each half into thin slices. Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan and add the onions, garlic, a pinch of salt and Provençal Rub. Sweat the onions until translucent, stirring quite regularly. Add the white wine. Once the alcohol has evaporated, turn down the heat to low, cover the onions with greaseproof paper and continue to cook very gently until all the natural sugars in the onion have caramelized and the onions are soft and sticky. This can take 30-60 minutes.

Add the hot beef stock. Bring the soup up to a boil and skim off any froth and oil that rises to the surface. Return the heat to a slow simmer and cook for another 45 minutes. At the end of cooking, season the soup with salt and black pepper.

When ready to serve the soup, toast the baguette slices on one side under the grill in the oven. Turn around and cover the other side with Gruyere. Grill until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve the soup in warm bowls topped with the Gruyere croutons. Serve at least 3 croutons per person.

Serves 6.