Five Onion French Onion Soup, and Smoked Gouda with Scallion Scones

I think this is probably the best batch of french onion soup I've ever made. Ever. It was sweet, and you could taste the difference to sherry and wine makes. Yum! The only thing to note is that it's very thick due to onion to broth ratio. To make it less thick, add double the amount of wine and stock.

Five Onion French Onion Soup

3 tbs butter
1 sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
2 leeks, washed and chopped (only white/yellow portion)
2-3 tbs cooking sherry
¾ cup white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Paposeco roll, sliced and toasted (any tough/hearty bread will do)
Smoked gouda, shredded or sliced thinly

Add butter to large pot, swirl until melted. Add onions and leeks, stir and cover pot, cooking over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly carmelized. Add sherry to deglaze bottom of the pot. Add the wine and vegetable broth, stirring until mixed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.

Pour soup into an oven-proof bowl, then top with toasted bread and cheese. Broil in oven until cheese is just melted.

Makes 4 appetizer portions or 2 larger meal portions.

Smoked Gouda and Scallion Scones

Scone:
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup butter, cold
½ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 scallion, chopped
½ cup smoked gouda, shredded

Topping:
1 egg
¼ cup smoked gouda, shredded

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a pastry cutter, cut in butter until thoroughly mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and the egg; add to flour mixture. Sprinkle in cheese and onions and stir with a fork.

Press dough into a ball and move to a floured surface. Knead the dough gently about 10 times, then pat into a rectangle. Cut into 3 squares, then half each square diagonally. Place onto a cookie pan covered with parchment paper.

Beat other egg for topping and brush the tops of each scone with it. Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake in the center of the oven at 400F until golden around edges and on top (about 20 minutes). Allow to cool on a rack.

Makes 6 scones.

Below is a picture of the soup alone -- fuzzy but gives the general idea of how much onion was involved.