Golden Creamed Onions

This colander holds five pounds of cleaned boiler onions all ready to be cooked tomorrow. But I'm worried about having enough so I've sent Ned back to the store for two more pounds. I know this may look like a lot but they cook down. Not as bad as spinach but they definitely don't expand like beans. These are nice ones although some are almost as small as pearl onions. Pearl and boiler onions are not cheap. In fact you can spend as much on them as you do on the turkey but what the heck.....it is for Thanksgiving!

I'll be making Golden Creamed Onions for Thanksgiving from a recipe I took out of Gourmet magazine back in 1986. I made them that Thanksgiving and they caught on with the family....even the extended family. They are really a pain to prepare because they take so much time to clean. Actually they take quite a while to cook as well and you need a really large skillet because you are suppose to cook them in one layer so they can caramelize. I think I gave my huge skillet to Betsy when we moved to SMA so I've sent Ned over to borrow it. If it is not there then I'll be cooking them in batches.

Now a suggestion about cleaning them.  This recipe says to blanch them for 2 minutes. It depends on the size. If I have boiler onions that are like small meatballs, then I may blanch for 3 minutes and I don't start timing until the water comes back to a boil. I use a small knife to cut off the root end but you only want to cut off a little bit of the root end because if you cut too much off they will come apart during the cooking. I like them to stay whole. And I use scissors then to snip off the leaf end...just a little not too much.

The recipe for Golden Creamed Onions

3 pounds (about 50) small white onions, blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes, drained and peeled.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar (I like to add brown sugar. I think it adds to the caramelized taste)
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (I don't think I add this much....I just put it in until it looks right)

In a deep skillet large enough to hold the onions in one layer combine the onions, the butter, the sugar, the salt, and enough water to cover the onions by 1/2 inch, bring the water to a boil, and boil the onions until the liquid is almost evaporated. Cook the onions over moderate heat, swirling the skillet, until they turn golden and begin to brown. Add the cream, bring the liquid to a boil, and boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened  slightly. Season and mixture with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.

The onion mixture may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated in a skillet over moderately low heat, stirring until it is hot. (I prefer to make it up to the point of adding the cream, chill and then reheat in a skillet and add the cream closer to serving time.)

Serves 10