French Onion Pull Apart Bread

Christmas Eve is always a big celebration for my family. We always have friends and family over to celebrate the season with a ton of food and drinks. It’s really all about the appetizers on Christmas Eve. That being said this weeks menu is all about the appetizers.

My friend gave me the idea for this recipe a while back and as soon as she said it I knew it was a must make for my Christmas Eve menu. This bread is everything you would ever want in a winter comfort recipe. Honestly, I could eat the entire loaf myself. If, by chance, there are leftovers, I’ll put a fried egg on it for breakfast the next morning. It’s my new go to for cool weather.

Entertaining tips:

1. Make the onions the day before and keep them in the refrigerator. They will reheat when you bake the bread.

2. If you’re using block cheese, shred your cheese the day before and keep in the refrigerator.

Recipe:serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 round loaf ciabatta or French bread

1 ½ yellow onion, sliced

¼ tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

½ cup dry red wine

1 tsp “better than bouillon” beef bouillon or 1 beef bouillon cube

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

8oz shredded fontina cheese

8oz shredded gruyere cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

3. In a large fry pan, heat 4 Tbsp butter over medium heat.

4. Once butter is melted add sliced onions and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until onions are soft

5. Add wine and beef boullion to the onions. Continue to cook until the wine is cooked down and the onions are tender and caramelized.

6. Remove from heat and set aside.

7. In a small pot warm the other 4 Tbsp butter and the thyme together until butter is melted. Set aside.

8. Slice the bread horizontally and vertically to create 1 inch cubes, being careful not to slice all the way through the bread. Place bread on lined baking sheet

9. Carefully pull apart the bread cubes and pour the butter thyme mixture all over the bread.

10. Stuff half the cheese into the bread slices.

11. Next stuff the onion mixture into the bread followed by the remaining half of cheese.

12. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

13. Serve warm and enjoy!