Onions

Onions that have been gently stewed develop a delicate sweetness and depth of flavor that make them a perfect foil for roast meats. The best-known onion sauce is Sauce Soubise I, which is made especially delicate and discreet by preliminary sweating of the onions (browning is avoided at all costs), which are then combined and puréed with Sauce Béchamel. A more rustic and assertive sauce can be prepared by simply stewing onion slices in butter until they are soft, cooking them for a few minutes longer with some heavy cream, and puréeing the mixture in a food processor. Both Sauce Soubise and a simple stewed onion purée can be flavored with roasting juices or stock and enriched with varying amounts of cream and butter. Onion purée served with grilled foods can be made more assertive by adding tomato purée, wine vinegar, or Provençal herbs.