master recipe: caramelizing onions

How To Make master recipe: caramelizing onions

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  1

  PREP/PREPARE
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  2

  Gather Your Ingredients.
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  3

  Add the butter and olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-low heat.
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  While the butter is melting, cut the onions, pole-to-pole, remove the skin and thinly slice.
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  Chef’s Note: Caramelized onions like to have lots of friends, so I would do a minimum of two good-sized onions, or more. If you wind up making more than you need, you can always freeze the leftovers.
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  Add the onions to the pan, and give them a stir.
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  Chef's Note: Add a pinch of salt, to get the process started.
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  8

  Chef's Note: Come back every 8 – 10 minutes, and give them another stir.
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  After 10 minutes the onions will be soft, but not brown… not a bit of brown. If they are beginning to brown, the heat is set too high… Turn it down.
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  After 20 minutes, the onions are beginning to lose moisture to the pan, and may begin to brown… but not very much browning. Stir the onions, with a wooden spoon, and incorporate the brown bits beginning to form on the bottom of the pan (fonds), back into the onions.
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  After 30 minutes, the onions are browning nicely (no burning), and as they begin to caramelize, they’re giving off a wonderful aroma. Keep scraping those fonds into the onions.
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  After 40 minutes, they should be golden in color, and just about ready for the next step.
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  Chef’s Note: Depending on the heat of the pan, it might take an additional 15 to 20 minutes to get the color and taste that you desire.
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  Add the liquid (wine, stock or water), scrape up all those yummy fonds, and incorporate them back into the onions.
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  Reduce most of the additional liquid, until the onions are nice and creamy, about 5 minutes.
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  Chef’s Tip: At this point, I sometimes add a bit of balsamic vinegar, for an extra kick. I usually do this if I’m baking these onions into a pizza.
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  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Serving Ideas • Use them to grace a burger, or other sandwich. • Mix them in soups or stews. • Add to your favorite Pizza. • Add to the top of a nice soft cheese (brie) and serve with crackers. • Add to the top of a nice pile of pasta.
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  Chef’s Tip: If you’re not using them right away, you can freeze them, and they will survive for several months. Enjoy.
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  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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