Week 31 - Onion Gratin

Jamie commended this recipe as a great representation of how onion can be a stand alone dish. I love it, and rarely cook a meal without it but other than a whole roast one on Sundays (or camping) I don't think I have cooked a side with just onion. You cook it for so long that the taste is delish but still respected. I also loved the addition of cheese.

Book: Cook with Jamie

Recipe: The Best Onion Gratin

Ingredients: 

Serves 4

4 medium red onions, peeled and quartered
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves, picked
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
a small wineglass of white wine
4 tablespoons creme fraiche
500g gruyere cheese, grated
50g parmesan cheese, grated

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Break the onion quarters apart to give you little 'petals'. Place these in an A4-sized dish or earthenware oven dish. Drizzle with a couple of gluts of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in your thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add your white wine, cover with a double layer of tinfoil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the dish from the oven, take the tinfoil off and pop the dish back in the oven for 15 minutes to start caramelising. Once the onion is looking lightly golden, stir in your creme fraiche and sprinkle over the cheese. Turn the oven down to 180°C and let the gratin tick away for about 15 minutes or until golden and gorgeous. You can eat this straight away, or cool it down and flash it under the grill later.

Changes Made: I only had cheddar and parmesan, and used creme rather than creme fraiche, plus I used a mixture of red and white onions. 

Results: So good, I am a huge fan of onion and this hit all the right spots! I halved the recipe but for two of us it was not enough.

Next Time: More onion.