Creamy Mixed Onions Gratin
Creamy Mixed Onions Gratin pares well as a hearty fall and winter dish and also makes a great side on the holiday table.
I once read a sentiment comparing the scent of an onion cooking in a home as a sign of love, the idea that someone cared enough to cook a special meal for sharing. If you concur on that aromatic comparison, then imagine the wafting aromas of three different types of onions, a leek, and two cloves of garlic while cooking. Heavenly love.
Having planned to share this dish sometime in the fall, I fortunately happened upon it scrolling through recipe posts. The photo styling with the pumpkins and fall scenery in the background sort of determined post now or otherwise wait for a whole other year. I decided to post now.
You can easily use just one type of onion following the recipe proportion.
Creamy Mixed Onions Gratin yields enough for a bit more than a medium-sized serving spoon per diner which technically is about as much as most folks can fit onto their plates with all the other mains and sides set abundantly on a holiday table.
Creamy Mixed Onions Gratin
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 Vidalia onion, halved, thinly sliced
- 1 white Spanish onion, quartered, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, halved, thinly sliced
- 1 leek, green part removed, sliced down center lengthwise, cleaned well, cut into thin half circles
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
- 1/2 -3/4 cup half and half
- 3/4 cup Gruyere, shredded
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- few pinches coarse kosher salt
- half dozen grinds cracked black pepper
- For the Topping:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs or Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Melt butter on low heat in a lidded wide bottomed cast iron enameled pan, tumble in the onions, leek, and garlic, stir throughout, cover pot with the lid and heat until mixture has cooked down, around twenty minutes to a half- hour, stirring intermittently
- Increase heat to medium and sprinkle over the flour, stir through, cook three minutes
- Pour in the wine, cook to reduce by half, three to four minutes
- Pour in the half and half, heat until hot then tip in the Gruyere, stir through until melted
- Sprinkle in nutmeg, salt and pepper, stir, check seasoning, adjust to taste
- Cook another few minutes to thicken, turn off heat
- Prepare the topping: Melt butter in a small saute pan, tumble in the bread crumbs, stir with the butter and cook on medium heat a few minutes until slightly golden, stirring constantly to prevent burning
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, transfer gratin mixture to a wide casserole, sprinkle the top with the buttered breadcrumbs
- Bake in oven until bubbling hot, around thirty minutes, more or less, turn oven to Broil and broil the top for a minute or two, until breadcrumbs are golden and crispy
- Gratin may be prepared a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Just before baking, cook breadcrumbs in the melted butter, sprinkle over the cooked creamy onion mixture, and proceed baking until hot, adding an additional fifteen to thirty minutes cooking time
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