Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Onions!

If I run out of thoughts for this blog, my next one might be an all-onion blog. I have yet to taste an onion I didn't like and have often eaten a meal of just sauteed onions. A typical night at our house involves me finding some way to incorporate onions into a dish. Sunday's meal prep began as such.
Amy: "Jeff, I'm going to make onion tarts tonight." Jeff: "You will really like that." 
Unfortunately the camera was not at hand to capture the look of dread on his face.

I've made Julia Child's Brown Braised Onions many times, but only as garnish on steak, chicken, burgers and similar meats. Jeff's skepticism was at the thought of an onion as the main ingredient in a dish standing next to his chicken. (My next post will be about my first attempt at pastry dough since college). 

Jeff is a truly perfect audience for my cooking since he'll try anything I make with a completely open mind. It took just a bit over 10 minutes before the aroma of browning butter and onions filled the room and made Jeff a believer. I could have served the onions in old shoes and he would have tried them, but fortunately for him I had pastry in mind...


As with most cooking (not baking--yet!) I add my own twist to each recipe. I also find that many dishes can be improved or enhanced with beer, wine or sherry/brandy. My version of Julia's recipe is below. I'm hoping to get some mad props from my mom for finally writing these down.

Amy's Brown Braised Onions

Ingredients-
1 large onion
1 1/2 T butter
1/2  T canola or olive oil
1/8 cup Sherry
1/4 c brown stock or beef bouillon
2T heavy cream (optional but delicious if adding to a tart shell)
1/2 t Thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions-
Slice the onions into slivers and heat butter and oil in 9-10 inch sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and sauté for about 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently so they will brown as evenly as possible.
When browned, pour in the liquids (except the cream), season to taste, and add the thyme. Cover and simmer slowly for 20-25 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender, stirring occasionally. If using cream, add and simmer 2 more minutes. Serve over most grilled meats.

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