French Onion Crostini

If you are looking for an easy, crowd pleasing appetizer… look no further. While these delicious french onion crostinis might take a bit of time to come together, they are worth the wait. I mean the best part of french onion soup is the cheesy crusty bread on top isn’t it? So here you have it in bite size form.

The reason these take some time to make is only because you have to patiently cook the onions to get them perfectly caramelized and jammy. If you try to rush it and cook them on a higher heat you could burn them before they reach perfection. While most french onion soup is made with beef broth, we are keeping it veggie friendly over here (as always) and add miso paste and slowly add vegetable broth to help amp up the flavor of the onions. In total it will take about 35-45 minutes to get the onions just right but again, I promise, it is worth the wait. 

These delicious and jammy onions will get smeared on some lightly toasted bread then piled high with gruyere cheese. Pop them under the broiler for a few more minutes until the cheese is melty, bubbly and starting to turn golden brown. I love to garnish these with some fresh thyme. It makes them look so pretty and a little bit fancy but the flavor helps bring home the french onion soup vibes. 

This recipe makes about twelve crostini which is perfect for a small appetizer for a few people. Not that there is much entertaining going on these days but if you want to make them for a larger group, I recommend doubling the recipe (you’ll thank me later). Also, if you do want to make these for a party, you could make the onions the day before so they are ready to go when you are ready to serve them, just assemble and broil! 

Yield: 12 Crostini

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French Onion Crostini

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 55 MinTotal time: 1 H & 4 M

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 12 baguette slices
• 1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated 
• olive oil, roughly 2 tablespoons to brush onto bread
• salt and pepper
• fresh thyme

Instructions

1. COOK: Heat the butter on medium low in a skillet. Once it is melted add the onions. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. They should be soft and just starting to turn golden. Add the miso paste and 1/4 cup of vegetable broth, stir to combine making sure all the miso is dissolved into the onions. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add another 1/4 cup of vegetable broth and cook for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir to make sure they don't burn. Add the last 1/4 cup of vegetable broth, cook just until the broth is mostly absorbed leaving you with brown jammy onions. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. TOAST: Once the onions are done, lightly brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and toast them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes, until they are just turning golden brown on the edges. 
3. ASSEMBLE: Remove the bread from the oven and top the toasts with the caramelized onions. Then top the onions with the gruyere cheese. 
4. BROIL: Return the toast to the oven on broil for another 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them and pull them out when the cheese is melty and bubbling and starting to brown. 
5. GARNISH: Don't forget the fresh thyme. Top the finished crostini with a little fresh thyme. Serve and enjoy!