So, I don't have a family recipe per se... When I was a kid growing up, my Dad's brother would come down with his family from upstate New York (with the cheese) and he and my Dad would get together in the kitchen and collaborate on how their Mom used to make it. Since 2020 is the worst year ever, I can't call Dad and ask for a starting point (he died in Feb, it's one of the reasons we're doing it this year). I asked my uncle - and he said that Dad was the lead on it, and he wouldn't know where to start. So, over the last several weeks - I've been pouring over the internet and I THINK I found one that's a good starting point and looks pretty close to what I remember as a kid. So, here's that recipe:
Creamed Pearl Onions Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 14 ounces frozen petite whole onions, thawed and drained
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh leaf thyme
- 1/3 cup cream or 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon Coleman's dry mustard
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch white pepper
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 1-2 quart saucepan over medium heat; add drained onions; raise heat to medium-high; stir onions constantly as they cook, until they begin to caramelize.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over onions; stir for for 1 minute.
- Deglaze onions with 1/3 cup dry white wine; add the minced thyme; stir, scraping the bottom, until wine evaporates.
- Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add 1/3 cup cream or half and half; stir until sauce is warmed and thickened.
- Season sauce with 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (or prepared horseradish), 1 pinch ground nutmeg, 1 pinch ground white pepper, and kosher salt, to taste.
- Remove from heat; add the grated cheese; stir until cheese is completely melted.
Basically, it's a Mornay sauce with onions in it. I seem to remember some finishing step that Dad had that involved the oven and getting the top bubbly and crispy. Like I said - this one is a work in progress. My wife has never had it, but has already turned her nose up at it. Her parents will try anything once, and the Canadian is all in. So maybe, just maybe - it'll be a reawakened family tradition!