Step One: Heat the oil and 7 tablespoons of butter in at least an 8-quart heavy bottom pot on high heat till melted. Add your thinly sliced onions and thyme bundle and cook. Stir often for about 15 minutes until the onions are still light in color and begin to shrink. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the thinly sliced garlic. Cook another 20 minutes (give or take), stirring often, until the onions are a deep golden color and tender. Watch the color more than the clock. If you noticed some onions are browning more than others, stir more frequently. You want all your onions to be an even golden brown.

Step Two: Next, add the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir until it coats all the onions for about 3 minutes, until they have a dull appearance. Now for the fun part, ADD THE WINE! Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Cook the onions for about 5 minutes until they are purple and almost all the wine has evaporated. Take out the thyme bundle and throw it away. Add your beef broth, soy sauce (DON’T skip this ingredient), and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer until the soup has thickened and the onions are no longer purple, about 45 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Step Three: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the croissant pieces on a baking sheet and bake for about 9 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and crank up the broiler.

Step Four: Arrange your soup crocks on a sturdy rimmed baking sheet. Grade ¼ cup of Gruyère cheese on the bottom of each soup crock. Ladle soup over cheese and add your croissant. Top off with more grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly about 3 or 4 minutes. Keep an eye on this! The broiler can be no joke! And YOU’RE DONE! Now sit down and enjoy the best soup of your life.