Crock pot onions for the summer

So on Friday I showed you this delightful pic of my simmering onions:

This is what they looked like after about 8 hours.  I eventually let them cook for closer to 12 hours.  I like them to be a deep caramel color.  I have made them before and used a different amount of butter, different onions, a little brown sugar.  It's one of those "recipes" that you switch up to your taste - never has to be the same every time.  Here is how I did them this go 'round:

 I started out with these monsters - 1015's.  So named because they are planted around October 15.  They are huge, exceptionally mild (no tears!), somewhat sweet, but if you want a super sweet onion, choose the Vidalia - they are wonderful cooked this way.  I sliced up three of these giant onions and they filled my 1.5 quart crock pot (which is the reason I have one left).  I had already placed a stick of unsalted butter in the bottom of the crock - I like all of the extra juice and buttery sauce that creates, but you could always adjust the butter amount, or even use olive oil.  I think you really need a little fat in there to keep them from sticking to the crock pot.  Then you just set the crock to low, cover it, and walk away.

If you make them at night, you will wake up to a house smelling of buttery onion, which is not all bad.  I guess you could set your crock pot out on the patio or in the garage if you don't want that!  Once they are the color I like I set the crock insert out to cool a bit, then I ladle the onions and juice into jars, cool all the way down, then refrigerate.  The fat will solidify, but since I will likely use them in a hot dish, that's ok.  My mother enjoys them right from the jar, buttery globs and all.  Ooh - wouldn't this be good with some cream cheese on a baguette or bagel? 

Shared with:

Tutorial Tuesday at Hope Studios