Baked Onions with Gruyere

I'm sitting on the back patio, enjoying a Shiner Hefewiezen, and contemplating the goodness of this life. It's breezy, sunny, and in the low 80's, a rarity for mid-July in Kansas, so I graciously accept this gift.

Tonight we're hosting a dinner party, and most of the ingredients were purchased at The Downtown Lawrence Farmers' Market. Since this is a food blog and I've neglected sharing any recipes lately, I thought I'd share something on tonight's menu a recipe for Baked Onions with Gruyere from Morton's The Cookbook. I've prepared the first six steps of the recipe, and I'll complete it right before dinner. However, I've sample the onions, and I think, I'll be roasting onions more often. Roasting an onion is a magical transformation. The recipe has me contemplating transplanting a patch of soil from Vidalia, Georgia, so I can grow my own sweet onions. Onion marmalade, anyone?

Roasting Onions with Gruyere

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 5 medium sweet white onions
• 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup beef broth.
  
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cut about 1/4 inch off the top and bottom of the onions. Then cut the onions in half a the equator and peel them. Arrange the onion halves, cut sides up, in the baking dish.
3. Brush the tops of the onions with olive and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for about 35 minutes.
5. In a glass measuring cup, mix together the beef broth and soy sauce. Pour over the onions.
6. Continue baking for about 1 hour, basting every now then. If the liquid evaporates, add a little water.
7. Sprinkle the cheese and sage evenly over the onion halves. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese melts.

breakin' out the new guayabera shirt tonight,
muddy