French Onion Soup

In a heavy 4 to 5 quart pan or kettle, melt the butter with the vegetable oil over moderate heat. Stir in the onions, salt and sugar and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the flour over the onions. Mix together so that the onions are coated with the flour. In a separate pan, put the stock, wine, bay leaf and sage. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Pour the hot stock mixture slowly over the onions, stirring so the flour will not lump. Cook over slow heat, partially covered for another 30 to 40 minutes. Don't boil it, keep at a simmer, skimming the fat off the mixture occasionally. While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the bread on a cookie sheet. With a pastry brush lightly coat the top side with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn bread over and coat that side with the olive oil. Bake another 15 minutes until the bread is completely dry and light brown. Rub each slice with the cut garlic and set aside. Add the cognac to the soup. To finish, put the soup in an ovenproof soup tureen or individual ovenproof soup bowls. Top each bowl with 2 ounces of the Swiss cheese and 1 to 2 pieces of the French bread. Top with a generous amount of the grated Parmesan cheese. If you are using a soup tureen you will add all the Swiss Cheese, bread and then Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the Parmesan with a little olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Broil for a minute or 2 to brown the top. Serves 6 to 8.