French Onion Rounds

Who doesn’t love French onion soup. But when you want that great taste but don’t feel like soup, here’s a great way to get all that rich flavor. Sweet caramelized onions topped with gruyere are great just out of the oven but still good at room temperature. The crostini base is sturdy enough to hold the onions and cheese without making a gooey mess.

You may think these would be difficult to make for a party, but you can do everything in advance and just put them in the oven before you’re ready to serve. They’re great for guests before dinner or as an appetizer for Game Day. All you have to do is caramelize the onions. Not to worry, it’s really easy.

It’s going to take 30 minutes no matter what you do, you really can’t speed that up.  In order for sweetness to come through, you have to let them cook slowly.  So be patient.  Add a little butter and olive oil to a skillet with a lid and once it’s hot, add the onions and cover, cooking over low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, add some salt and sugar and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can just cook them on low for 30 minutes but I like covering them at the beginning. At the end you’ll add Cognac and beef broth. You can easily substitute vegetable broth but don’t leave out the Cognac. That’s what gives it the depth of flavors that you love in French onion soup. You can make the onions a day or 2 ahead of time.

Once the onions are nice and golden brown, just assemble your crostini adding lots of gruyere to the top and bake.

You’ll love the rich flavor you get in this easy to make appetizer.  If you don’t use all the onions, they are great added to a quiche or biscuits.

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