Creamy Onion Soup

A few weeks ago I enjoyed lunch with a friend and we had lunch at her private club.  The chef has been utilizing local farms for some of his ingredients and I was curious to try his "creamy onion soup with Raab Farms candy onions".  It was fabulous.  Not too rich, but hearty enough with chunks of sweet onions and a creamy, silky background.  I have been obsessed with it ever since. 

This week and next I have the opportunity to work at a local farm that employed me as a teenager.  I worked at J-Mar Farms in the summers during high school and college.  If you can believe it, the last time I worked there was the day before Josh was born.  I'm working there as a substitute and I have to say, it's a little surreal.  It's almost like I've traveled back in time, but hopefully with a little more maturity!  I am enjoying it, it's like a break from being me, which is always nice for a bit. 

I do have a point here, and I promise you it's about "candy onions".  J-Mar Farms sells them and they also supply the chef at the country club with ingredients.  I kept hoping he'd come in this week so I could beg him for the recipe, but it seems I missed him.  So, after fixating on creamy onion soup for two weeks, I did a little research on google, used the ingredients I have here and I think my soup can rival his. 

One little note:  after taking pictures, I actually tasted the soup and the onions needed softening.  So, I just simmered the soup for another hour on low and the consistency is now perfect. I've adjusted the recipe below to reflect the desired outcome (soft onions!).  I ate mine with buttered french bread that had been broiled briefly - because I love bread. 

Creamy Onion Soup
2 sweet onions, sliced
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup cooking sherry
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup half-and-half

1.  In a medium-sized stockpot, saute onions in butter and olive oil for fifteen minutes.  Add thyme, pepper, and granulated garlic. 
2.  Sprinkle flour over onions and stir for a minute.  Add sherry and stir mixture. 
3.  Slowly add stock while stirring onions until thick (this will take several minutes). 
4.  Add half-and-half and simmer on low for about one hour or until onions are soft.  Serve with buttered bread or croutons sprinkled on top.