French onion-stuffed onions

Active: 1 hour; Total: 2 hour 15 minutes; Yield: 4 servings 

Oil, olive	1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons
Onions, yellow; thinly sliced	2 pounds
Salt, kosher	½ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon
Water	1 to 2 tablespoon
Butter, unsalted	2 tablespoon
Dry sherry	2 tablespoon
Beef bouillon paste	½ teaspoon
Onions,white	4 large
Beef stock	1 cup
Thyme, freshly chopped	¾ teaspoon
Gruyère, shredded	1 ¼ cups
Bread, sourdough; ¾-inch thick slices	4

1. Heat 1-tablespoon oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add onions; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. 
3. Stir in salt and pepper. 
4. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and dark golden, 30 to 40 minutes, stirring in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, as needed if the pan bottom gets too dark. 
5. Stir in the butter, sherry, and beef bouillon paste. 
6. Cook, stirring often, until the butter melts and the sherry evaporates, about 2 minutes. 
7. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 
8. Trim about ¼ inch from the root end of each onion, and about 1 inch from the stem end. 
9. Peel the onions, and remove the outermost layer. 
10. Scoop out the flesh from the center of each onion using a small scoop to create a cavity about 1 inch deep, leaving about 2 onion layers intact around the sides; the base should be slightly thicker; reserve the onion flesh, and discard the peels, trimmings, and outer onion layer. 
11. Finely chop the onion flesh. 
12. Spread 1 ½-cups chopped onions in a 9-inch square baking pan, and pour in the beef stock. (Discard any remaining onion flesh, or save for another purpose.) 
13. Nestle the hollowed onions, open end up, in the pan; drizzle with 1-tablespoon oil, and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. 
14. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. 
15. Bake until softened, about 20 minutes. 
16. Uncover, and continue baking until the liquid in the pan has almost completely evaporated and the onions are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. 
17. Remove the pan from the oven; do not turn the oven off. 
18. Transfer the hollowed onions to a paper towel-lined plate. 
19. Stir frenched onions and thyme into the onion mixture in the pan; season to taste. 
20. Stuff each hollowed onion with 1-tablespoon Gruyère and about 1/3-cup frenched onion mixture. 
21. Place the bread slices on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle evenly with oil. 
22. Top each slices with one stuffed onion. 
23. Sprinkle onions evenly with the remaining cheese, letting some spill onto the bread. 
24. Bake until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. 
25. Garnish with thyme leaves and black pepper. 

Recipe from Food & Wine Annual 2025.