We are onion fans, specifically cooked, but with all the onion components going on, there might be one too many, even for the true onion lover. I used the amounts listed, but didn't have enough for 4 large onions, and, after the final cooking, it seems I could have put even more filling in each, so, I'd recommend using smaller onions. My onions took about 25 minutes to get soft enough to remove the inside, but the final cook time worked well. I did taste the filling before adding it to the onion, and it seemed bland, so, knowing the only thing I was going to be adding was more onion, I opted to add some salt and fresh ground pepper, then a drop of liquid smoke. Once the onions were done, the flavor of the filling was good(though I'd leave out the shallot, next time), but as soon as we cut into the onion, the entire filling oozed out onto the plate. :) So, bottom line: so pretty and a lot of potential in the filling....certainly worth playing with for the interesting inclusion of mascarpone, especially! Thank you, IMANKAY!

I did not like this at all. The onions were pretty much raw and all you get is onion flavor. I think this would be much better if the stuffing did not contain the challots and had perhaps a bredding to cut some of the strong onion flavor.

This had potential but didn't turn out well for me. The onions were very raw and basically inedible despite extending the cooking time substantially. I altered the filling at the suggestion of another reviewer by adding extra herbs such as basil, chives and extra thyme and garlic. When I filled the onions I had space leftover so I added some feta that I had on hand. The filling was actually quite good this way had the onions been cooked thoroughly. So...the recipe has potential but you may need to deviate somewhat.

The presentation is gorgeous, but the taste is lacking. Even with a few more herbs in the mascarponse cheese, the filling had almost no taste. As written, I wouldn't make this recipe again.

Amazing! I did make a couple small changes - had no shallots so I added some snipped fresh chives and some fresh basil from my garden. I used smallish red onions - no more than 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter - and I think I like that size better. I would suggest just barely cutting the tops off, then when you remove the inner sections, remove them from the bottom of the onion. They will come out easier (I just used the tong of a fork and pulled out one section at a time), then place the onions bottom side up to stuff with mascarpone. That way the smaller opening at the bottom (the TOP of the onion) will help keep the melted cheese inside the onion (and it DOES get runny!) These were very easy, elegant and delicious - I think they make a better appetizer than side dish, perhaps since I used smaller onions, and I think I might opt for fresh herbs instead of shallots next time, as they add a nice touch of color.