Shallots

These are as essential to French cooking as crème fraîche. They are a part of the onion tribe and have a mellow garlic-onion flavor. They grow in clusters like garlic. If your market does not have them they may be ordered from Shallot Distributors, Vineland, New Jersey.

When a recipe calls for 2 shallots, it is the whole shallot, and not the individual cloves that make up the shallot, that is required, or about 3 tablespoons minced shallots.