The Best Creamed Onion Recipe

The  Best Creamed Onions Ever

These are my take on the traditional Creamed Onion Dish that I started making from Julia Child’s original recipe. I just kept playing with it and I think maybe I have perfected this delicious dish. It is saved for special meals because of the richness of the sauce. I do think you could get by with making the béchamel portion with milk instead of cream and even eliminating the cheese… but I cannot bring myself to do so now that I have ventured beyond that.

Here is my theory on the changes: Boil the onions, and most of the flavor leaches out; roast them, and the flavor is concentrated – mellow, slightly caramelized and sweet. I decided to give them a sauce with some substance. I replaced the milk in my béchamel with dry vermouth and cream, add bay leaf and thyme, and finish it with cheese.

Ingredients:

·         2# fresh pearl onions (yellow ones are best for this recipe)

·         Sauce:

·         2 cups of dry vermouth

·         ½ small onion studded with 4 cloves

·         1 bay leaf

·         6 green pepper corns

·         1 pod of green cardamom

·         1 sprig of fresh thyme

·         A pinch of dry tarragon

·         1 cup of heavy cream

·         3 tablespoons butter

·         3 tablespoons flour

·         2 cups grated Comte Cheese

·         3 tablespoons cognac

·         1 nutmeg pod and a micro plane grater

·         Salt and Pepper to taste

 Method:

Put the onions in a large bowl. Fill the bowl with boiling water. Allow to steep for 3 minutes. Remove the onions and strain. Using a sharp paring knife, start at the top of each onion and remove the peel, trying to only remove the papery part in one or two pieces. Once you have skinned the onion, carefully trim the root end, just cutting off the roots. Remember while you are doing this that this is a gift of love you are giving to your dinner guests. It is somewhat tedious, but well worth the effort. You are giving them something they cannot go out and buy!

Put the peeled onions in a silpat lined roasting pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast them at 350°F for about an hour, until they're soft and nicely caramelized. Shake the pan every 20 minutes to make a more uniform caramelization.

While the onions are roasting, make the sauce in a large sauce pan. Combine the vermouth, onion and spices and simmer (not rambling boil) till the vermouth is reduced by half. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Allow to steep for about 30 minutes, and then strain into a bowl.

In a clean saucepan prepare a basic béchamel, with 2 TBSP butter and 2 TBSP flour, substituting the strained steeped liquid for the milk. Once the sauce is thickened, whisk in the cheese.  Season the sauce very sparingly with salt & pepper (the cheese will have made it somewhat salty already) and a generous grating of nutmeg to taste. I use almost a whole nut, but start tasting after half of it has been added. Nutmeg can be overwhelming, but this sauce can stand up to quite a lot of it. To finish the sauce I add the cognac and simmer for a minute or two.

 Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the onions into the sauce and stir gently to blend. Keep warm till serving time or refrigerate and then gently re-warm the next day. Do not count calories, just enjoy this once or twice a year. 

Polenta Crusted Onion Rings

Polenta Crusted Onion Rings 

Ingredients:

·         2 large Maui onions (or other sweet onions)

·         2 cups buttermilk

·         Teaspoon each seas salt and freshly ground black pepper 

·         1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (can be seasoned with garlic salt, allepo pepper and fresh cracked black pepper)

·         1/4 cup polenta (not instant)

·         1 quart vegetable oil

Method: 

Peel the onions, slice them between 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings. Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes. (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for 1-3 hours.) In a separate bowl or container, combine the flour, polenta and the chosen seasonings. 

Set aside.

When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees F or heat your warming drawer on low. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

If you have it, a rack over a second baking sheet is a good thing for draining

Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a large pot or Dutch oven. (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature.) Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture. Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs. Don't crowd them! Place the finished onion rings on the rack over the baking sheet sprinkle liberally with salt (I use smoked sea salt), once salted, moved to the paper towel lined pan and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batch. Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried. They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Serve hot. These are very good with chipotle mayonnaise (3-4 chipotles and 1 cup of good quality mayo purred in blender or food processor.)