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Pearl
Onions au Gratin
This
fabulous recipe comes from Food & Wine Magazine. It's credited to
Barbara Lynch and originally appeared in the November 2006 issue. It's
simple, and a perfect make a day ahead dish.
Pearl Onions au Gratin *
Fresh pearl onions in a mixture
of cream, garlic, shallots and bacon, then tops it all with a crispy panko
crust.
* 2 1/2 pounds red or white
pearl onions
* 4 thick strips of bacon, finely diced
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 shallots, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or coarse, dry bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Bring a large pot of water
to a boil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under
cold water. Use a sharp knife to trim off the root ends, then pinch the
onions to remove the skins.
In a medium, deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat until
the fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the bacon fat into a heatproof
cup and reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons. Drain the bacon on paper towels.
Add the butter to the skillet along with the shallots and garlic. Cook
over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the
cream and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes; season with
salt and pepper. Transfer the pearl onions to a large, shallow baking
dish and cover with the cream.
(Stop here if making a day ahead of time)
In a small bowl, toss the panko with the bacon, parsley and the 1 1/2
teaspoons of reserved bacon fat.
Season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread the crumb mixture over the
onions. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until the crumbs are toasted
and the onions are bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Serves 10.
To make this dish the day before
prepare the onions through step three and refrigerate overnight. Return
to room temperature before baking.
*
I've made this dish several
times now. My one comment would be if you want firm onions only cook it
the suggested 30 minutes. Everytime I eat this dish I wish the onions
were softer. Next time I'm going to cook it a minimum of 45 minutes. If
the topping looks like it's getting too brown I'll cover it with foil.
I'll check for doneness before I take it out of the oven. This will of
course also depend on the size of the pearl onions you use.
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