Kreacher's French Onion Soup

Serves 6

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Peel the onions, cut them in half from pole to pole, and slice as thinly as possible.
  3. In a heavy soup pot, heat the butter.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat.
  5. Remove one end of the baguette and slice size 1 inch thick slices for the croutons.
  6. Cover the cut end of the bread and save for later.
  7. Dip a pastry brush into the hot butter that is in the pot and brush one side of each slice with it.
  8. Place the slices butter-side up on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese.
  9. Toast the bread in the oven for about 10 minutes or until browned.
  10. While the bread toasts, return the pot to the heat and add the onions.
  11. Season with salt and pepper.
  12. Stir in the sugar and continue to stir over medium-high heat until the onions have browned, about 15 minutes.
  13. Blend in the flour.
  14. Gradually add the stock while stirring and bring the soup to a boil.
  15. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
  16. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and float a cheesy crouton in the center, then sprinkle cheese around the crouton.
  17. To make French Onion Soup with Gruyère:

  18. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  19. Ladle the soup into heatproof cups.
  20. Sprinkle in 1 Tbs of slivered Gruyère and 1/2 tsp grated raw onion per cup.
  21. Float a piece of buttered toast on top and sprinkle with a scant 1/4 cup of grated Gruyère.
  22. Bake for 20 minutes or brown under the broiler.

Bucholz, Dinah. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Page 63. Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2010.