French Onion Bites Recipes

FRENCH ONION MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (If you're planning to bake the macaroni and cheese in a baking dish instead of a skillet, butter 9-by-13-inch baking dish or other 3-quart casserole.)
• Meanwhile, in a deep, large (12-inch) ovenproof skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, thyme sprigs and bay leaf, if using, and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, baking sheet or foil and cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions are softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Uncover and continue to cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If the onions look dry, add a few tablespoons of water at a time to prevent them from burning, scraping up any browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet. (You will need to do this several times.)
• While the onions are cooking, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; drain and set aside. Rub one side of each baguette slice with garlic.
• When the onions are a deep golden brown, discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and deglaze the skillet with the vinegar until evaporated, scraping up browned bits as you go, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour begins to stick to the bottom of the pan and has turned a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking often.
• Reserve 1 cup of the Gruyère. Carefully add the remaining Gruyère and all the Cheddar to the caramelized onion mixture and carefully stir until melted. If your pan is big enough, add the cooked pasta and stir to combine, or combine the sauce and pasta in the prepared dish.
• Spread the pasta mixture in an even layer in the prepared dish, then top with the baguette slices, garlic-side up. Sprinkle the toasts with the reserved 1 cup Gruyère and season with pepper. Place the skillet or dish on a sheet pan and bake until bubbly and brown in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crispier top, broil for a few minutes. Let cool slightly, then garnish with fresh thyme leaves.

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING WITH FRENCH ONION BITES AND #PILLSBURY

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray two mini muffin tins and set aside.
• In a large saute pan, add the butter and olive oil (I use a touch of oil so that the butter doesn't burn) and melt over medium high heat.
• Add the thinly sliced onions to the butter/oil mixture and saute for about 7-10 minutes, until they start to pick up a nicely warm caramelized color.
• Add the thyme, salt, pepper and brown sugar and saute for a few minutes more until the color starts to deepen.
• Deglaze the pan with the vegetable stock, taking care to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and simmer the onions until they are richly caramelized and most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan..
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Roll out the Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough so that there are no seams visible and the dough is about a 12x8 rectangle. Cut into 24 squares.
• Press the dough into each muffin cup and up the sides of the cup.
• Bake for about 5 minutes until they start to puff.
• Remove from the oven and fill each cup with about a 1/2 teaspoon to a teaspoon of the caramelized onions.
• Top with some shredded fontina cheese and bake for about 8-10 minutes more, until the cheese is melted and the edges are toasty and brown.
• Remove the French Onion Bites from the pan and let them cool slightly.
• Enjoy!

FRENCH ONION BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F with rack in middle.
• Arrange slices on a large baking sheet and bake in oven until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until butter is melted, then cook onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
• Uncover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Add wine and cook until entirely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Discard garlic clove, bay leaf, and thyme. Transfer to a small bowl and keep warm, covered.
• Preheat broiler.
• Arrange toasts on a large baking sheet, then top each with a rounded teaspoon of caramelized onions and sprinkle generously with shredded Gruyere. Broil 3- to 4-inches from heat until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes (watch carefully).
• Steps that can be done ahead of time:.
• Onions can be caramelized 3-5 days ahead and kept chilled.
• Bread slices can be toasted and cheese shredded 1-2 days ahead. Keep toasts in an airtight container at room temperature and keep cheese chilled.