Pasta with Cheddar and Bacon - PUBLISHED

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pasta-with-bacon-caramelized-onions-and-cheddar-cheese/38ad3d0f-791a-4e35-ad49-34a8c7e9407f
http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/common-mistakes/article/caramelized-onions-common-mistakes-avoid
http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-caramelize-onions-35933

1 - I've actually made this twice but didn't have the correct ratio the first time. Very good the second time, and to re-heat, some chicken stock works quite nicely.
2 - Made for a table of 5 people and there were no leftovers! And there was bread! Although there is lots of salt in the bacon and cheese, I will add extra salt to the next iteration - the flavours could pop a bit more.
3 - Holy smokes, the secret to making this stellar has nothing to do with the bacon fat, and everything to do with very, very slowly caramelizing the onions! What a difference this makes. I'd recommend using a diffuser every time to get the onions to cook down super slowly, the flavor is absolutely improved.
4 - Awright, we're almost there. The ratio of sauce to pasta isn't quite right. I wonder if, in past iterations, I only used a lb of pasta? Although I did note '5 servings of 4oz'. Anyway, we both agree that more sauce to pasta would be better. Darn it! I thought this was ready to go! NO WAIT! I think I understand what's happening. Last night I used chunky pasta which captures sauce, while in my testing at some point I decided a linguine would be better, which gets covered in sauce but has no pocket or hole to capture it. Maybe that's the difference? I'm keeping the amount of pasta IF it's a straight noodle, and reducing it by a 1/4lb if it's chunky.

5 - I only had 6oz of bacon so I altered the recipe but kept the same amount of cream. It was just right! I will keep this here even though it's at Test 3 since I did change the recipe. Otherwise, I'm willing to risk it and publish if it works out as well next time!

5 servings of 4oz with linguine etc, 4 servings of 4oz with chunky pasta

6 to 8oz bacon, cut into lardons
¼ cup bacon fat
4 medium onions (24oz/680g) thinly sliced
¼ Tbsps white wine
1 lb spaghetti, linguini or fettucine etc.
1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream
6oz shredded Cheddar cheese 
Salt, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until just before it crisps, or until it is of a light golden colour. Remove it from the fat and set aside, keeping about ¼ cup of fat (if there isn't enough fat, add butter. Chop the bacon into pieces and set aside.
2. To the hot bacon fat add the onion to caramelize. To properly caramelize, cook the onions over med-low heat, preferably using a diffuser, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes; this can take a half hour+. 
3. When the onions are of a delicious brown, the sugars will have stuck to the bottom of the pan creating the fond, and needs to be deglazed with the wine. Add as much wine as you need to get that lovely fond moving (within reason. If you want more white wine, pour some in a glass and drink it).
4. Put the pasta on to boil.
5. Add the cream to the onions and bring to the boiling point. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cheese and the bacon.
6. Pour over the noodles; toss to coat. Test the seasoning and add salt to your liking, a pinch at a time.
7. Serve with a good grind of black pepper.