Caramelized Onions

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onions and toss with tongs to coat in the melted butter. Cook the onions until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add salt and toss to combine. The salt will help draw moisture out of the onions. Then cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until onions have softened and begin to turn translucent, about 10 minutes.

Over low heat, continue to cook uncovered, stirring the onions and scraping the bottom of pan about every 5-10 minutes so they don’t stick or scorch. Keep cooking the onions until liquid has evaporated and the onions become silky, jammy and deepen in color to a rich caramelized blonde color, about 60 minutes.The onions may be drying out and sticking to the bottom of the pan by now.

Deglaze the pan by stirring in the cornichon brine. The onions will soak up the brine, replump and remove any crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the caramelized onions to a cutting board to cool. Once cool, roughly chop the onions and set aside.

Scones

Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and black pepper into a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Use your hands, a pastry cutter or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the cold, cubed butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are the size of small peas.

Add 1/2 cup of the grated gruyere cheese and the chopped thyme. Blend in just until evenly distributed.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry, until the dough just comes together. The dough should look scrappy and rough at this point. Gently mix in the chopped caramelized onions until just blended.

Scrape the dough from the bottom and sides of the bowl to incorporate floury scraps then transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, it should come out as mostly one big chunk with some scrappy bits.

Gather the dough ball and bits and pat until it just comes together. The top should be chunky and rough, this ensures the crumbly character of the baked scones. Gently form the dough into two 4"-5" disks for smaller scones, or one 7"-8" disk for larger scones.

Cut the disk(s) into 6 wedges and place, evenly spaced, on a baking sheets. Top each scone evenly with the remaining Gruyere cheese. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer to chill the dough for 15-20 minutes while the oven preheats. *This will help the scones hold their structure and prevent them from falling and spreading too much in the oven. 

Preheat oven to 375°F while the dough chills.

Bake the small scones for 20-25 minutes or large scones for 25-30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The scones should come out a warm with a golden glow topped in bubbly melty cheese bits and some deep golden coloring on the edges, giving that crumbly crust to the exterior.

Allow the scones to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Just before serving, top each one with a cornichon skewered onto  a toothpick and serve right away. For large scones, you may want to top each with 2 cornichons.