Kathryn’s Slow-Cooker Big-Batch Caramelized Onions
Modified from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, pg. 307 (I have the book)
Makes 4 cups of caramelized onions, one cup per pound of sliced onions
Ingredients:
6 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten/moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 4 lbs sliced onions.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided use)
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper, coarse ground
1.5 tsp brown sugar (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)
Directions:
1. Slice onions in food processor if the onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole. If sliced crosswise, the cooked onions will be stringy. Use a mandoline if the food processor option doesn’t work out. Be sure the slicer setting is for ¼ inch thick slices. On the Breville Food Processor, this is slicer setting #8.
2. Microwave onions on High (100 percent power) with 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons salt in partially-covered bowl, stirring every 5 minutes, until softened, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain onions, discarding liquid; transfer onions to slow-cooker.
4. Stir sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into slow-cooker set to High.
5. Cover and cook until onions are deep golden brown, 8 to 12 hours on High.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Onions can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to a week.
8. Makes 4 cups. One cup per pound of sliced onions.
Note: I double this recipe for French Onion Soup.
Just so you know: The original ATK recipe for slow cooker caramelized onions called for 8 onions (no weight specified), 3TBL unsalted butter, 3 TBL brown sugar, and salt and pepper to yield 2 cups of caramelized onions.
*************************************
Kathryn’s French Onion Soup using Crock Pot Caramelized Onions
(To fill a Staub 8 ½ quart Dutch Oven)
Preparation time: 12-14 hours using Crock Pot for onion caramelization step
Simmering time: 1 ½ hours
Makes 16 -20 servings
Ingredients:
For the caramelized onions for the soup:
12 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten or moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 8 lbs sliced onions. (8 lbs sliced fresh onions makes 8 cups caramelized onions. You will use all 8 cups of caramelized onions in the soup.)
1 stick (8 TBL) unsalted butter
4 tsp salt, divided
3 tsp sugar, divided (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)
1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper, divided
Two (2) bouquet garnis made from 1 bay leaf and 4 springs of fresh thyme each.
For the soup:
8 cups of the caramelized onions
8 cups homemade beef broth (best store-bought is Pacific Beef Broth according to Cooks Illustrated)
4 cups chicken broth (chicken broth is used because beef broth is hard to make and the store-bought varieties are inferior)
4 TBL flour
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup cognac or brandy (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)
2 cups dry white wine (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
CrockPot Onion Caramelization:
Soupmaking:
To serve:
Enjoy!
Kathryn
Modified from America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, pg. 307 (I have the book)
Makes 4 cups of caramelized onions, one cup per pound of sliced onions
Ingredients:
6 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten/moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 4 lbs sliced onions.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (divided use)
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper, coarse ground
1.5 tsp brown sugar (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)
Directions:
1. Slice onions in food processor if the onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole. If sliced crosswise, the cooked onions will be stringy. Use a mandoline if the food processor option doesn’t work out. Be sure the slicer setting is for ¼ inch thick slices. On the Breville Food Processor, this is slicer setting #8.
2. Microwave onions on High (100 percent power) with 1 tablespoon butter and 2 teaspoons salt in partially-covered bowl, stirring every 5 minutes, until softened, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain onions, discarding liquid; transfer onions to slow-cooker.
4. Stir sugar, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into slow-cooker set to High.
5. Cover and cook until onions are deep golden brown, 8 to 12 hours on High.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Onions can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to a week.
8. Makes 4 cups. One cup per pound of sliced onions.
Note: I double this recipe for French Onion Soup.
Just so you know: The original ATK recipe for slow cooker caramelized onions called for 8 onions (no weight specified), 3TBL unsalted butter, 3 TBL brown sugar, and salt and pepper to yield 2 cups of caramelized onions.
*************************************
Kathryn’s French Onion Soup using Crock Pot Caramelized Onions
(To fill a Staub 8 ½ quart Dutch Oven)
Preparation time: 12-14 hours using Crock Pot for onion caramelization step
Simmering time: 1 ½ hours
Makes 16 -20 servings
Ingredients:
For the caramelized onions for the soup:
12 lbs (purchased) organic yellow onions (not white or Vidalia), halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick. With waste and the inevitable rotten or moldy onion or two in the batch, I buy extra. You will want to end up with 8 lbs sliced onions. (8 lbs sliced fresh onions makes 8 cups caramelized onions. You will use all 8 cups of caramelized onions in the soup.)
1 stick (8 TBL) unsalted butter
4 tsp salt, divided
3 tsp sugar, divided (2023 Update: I now use half this amount of sugar.)
1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper, divided
Two (2) bouquet garnis made from 1 bay leaf and 4 springs of fresh thyme each.
For the soup:
8 cups of the caramelized onions
8 cups homemade beef broth (best store-bought is Pacific Beef Broth according to Cooks Illustrated)
4 cups chicken broth (chicken broth is used because beef broth is hard to make and the store-bought varieties are inferior)
- You can use 12 cups homemade beef broth instead of using chicken broth. Julia Child uses all beef broth. Ina Garten uses 8 cups beef + 4 cups veal broths.
4 TBL flour
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup cognac or brandy (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)
2 cups dry white wine (optional: sherry may be enough but I usually add it)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Directions:
CrockPot Onion Caramelization:
- Slice onions in food processor if the onions can be placed in the feed tube such that the slices are pole-to-pole. If sliced crosswise, the cooked onions will be stringy. Use a mandoline if the food processor option doesn’t work out. Be sure the slicer setting is for ¼ inch thick slices. On the Breville Food Processor, this is slicer setting #8.
- Make two bouquet garni by tying 1 bay leaf and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme together with cooking twine and add to the onions while they are caramelizing in the Crock Pot.
- In a large glass bowl, microwave 4 lbs (sliced ¼ inch thick) onions on high with 1 TBL butter and 2 tsp. salt in the bowl, stirring occasionally (every 5 minutes) until softened. Repeat with remaining 4 lbs sliced onions
- Drain onions; discard liquid; transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the two bouquet garni to the onions in the slow cooker.
- Stir 3 tsp sugar, remaining 6 TBL butter and 1 tsp pepper to the onions.
- Cover and cook on High until onions are deep golden brown, about 10 to 12 hours.
- Season with Salt and Pepper to taste
- Onions can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week.
Soupmaking:
- Heat 1 qt of the beef broth and 1 qt of the chicken stock (or 2 qts. beef broth only) to boiling in a large saucepan.
- At the end of caramelization, add all 8 cups of the caramelized onions to the large Staub Dutch oven, including the 2 bouquet garni if added in the caramelization step. If not added then, add the bouquet garni.
- Add the cognac (optional) and the sherry to the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are dry.
- Add the flour and cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, allowing the flour to slightly brown around the onions. (or make a roux with 4 TBL butter and the 4Tbl flour. This ensures there are no lumps.)
- Add the boiling stock, stirring constantly so that no lumps form from the flour/onion mixture.
- Add the remainder of the stock and the dry white wine (optional).
- Cover the Dutch oven and simmer for 1/1/2 to 2 hours.
- Taste for seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve:
- Select a 2 cup ovenproof bowl. Using the bowl as a cutter, invert it over a slice of bread and cut out a round of bread. Toast the bread on one side by placing it on a cookie sheet and placing the sheet under a broiler for a few minutes.
- Ladle a serving of soup into the bowl.
- Place the bread, toasted side down, on top of the soup.
- Add a slice of provolone, gruyere, or shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the bread.
- To prevent the mozzarella from becoming stringy when you spoon it out of the soup, use shredded mozzarella sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice.
- Place the bowl under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts.
Enjoy!
Kathryn
Comment