Recipe: Pearl Onion Gratin
November 27, 2007 in recipe, side, vegetable
I really enjoyed this dish but I will admit, you need to LIKE onions. The nice part is, a few little tiny pearl onions is just perfect on the side for most people so this dish will go far. But for those of you who LOVE onions, I don’t think this will make it a day.
I used two types of mustard for the binder, one was regular Dijon, but the other was a smoky onion mustard. This combo really gave a deep smokiness to the dish, but any combination of mustards you enjoy with onion would be delicious.
Ingredients:
- 20 oz. pearl onions
- 2 T. unsalted butter
- 2 T. flour
- 1 c. milk
- 3 T. creamed Sherry
- 1 T. onion mustard (or other flavor, style you like)
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 t. grated nutmeg
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, then add onions (leave skins on). Boil until just tender, about 25 minutes.
- Remove onions from the water and set aside 1 c. of broth, discarding the rest.
- Cool the onions, then peel.
- Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking constantly and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add reserved onion broth, milk, and Sherry. Cook until thickened, whisking often, about 8 minutes.
- Whisk in mustards, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Add the onions and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Add the creamed onions to a 2-qt. baking dish (or deep dish pie plate). Sprinkle evenly with cheese then broil until top is golden and bubbling.