Stuffed Sweet Onions with Soubise
| Ingredients | Onions |
|---|---|
| Menu Part | Appetizer/Small Plate |
Chef William B. Ballard
Club Advisors
Bend, Ore.
This onion-focused dish, which features sweet onions as a carrier and in the sauce and green onions in the vinaigrette, could serve as an appetizer, side or light entree. Fresh chives add a touch of spring, and chive blossoms and microgreens carry out the seasonal theme.
Ingredients
Stuffed onions
4 large sweet onions
½ cup chicken broth
2 tbsp. butter, clarified
2 oz. andouille sausage, finely diced
3 French bread slices, cubed and toasted
1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tbsp. chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 whole chives, cut in half
4 chive blossoms
Onion microgreens, optional
Soubise
4 oz. sweet onion, chopped
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 oz. velouté sauce
2 oz. heavy cream
Chive vinaigrette
1 oz. chives, cut into thirds
½ bunch green onions, cut into quarters
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel and remove top quarter from each onion. Hollow out center of each onion, leaving at least ¼- to ½-inch-thick outer shell. Reserve onion pieces and chop for later use.
2. Place onions cored side up in baking pan. Pour broth in bottom of pan. Cover pan with foil. Bake onions until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in medium skillet, cook chopped onions in butter over medium heat until golden brown and tender. Stir in sausage and heat through. Remove from heat; stir in baguette cubes, 1 cup cheese and chives. Season with salt and pepper and combine.
4. Remove baked onions from pan and drain broth. Return onions to baking pan, cored side up. Fill hollowed onions with onion-sausage mixture and pack tightly. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. For soubise: In medium saute pan, saute onion in butter until softened. Add velouté sauce and heavy cream and heat through. Remove sauce from pan and puree in food processor. Reserve warm.
6. For chive vinaigrette: In food processor, combine chives, green onions, vinegar and oil. Blend until smooth. Place in squirt bottle.
7. To assemble: Place each stuffed sweet onion between the center of plate and 10 o’clock position. Pool soubise around onion, pooling more on bottom. Drizzle drops of chive vinaigrette in soubise. Reserve additional chive vinaigrette for future use. Stick three chives in the stuffed onion; garnish with microgreens and a chive blossom.
Photo courtesy of National Onion Association