SERVES: 4
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Glazed whole pearl onions are a beautiful and natural addition to any holiday table, since they complement just about any type of roast. For sweet, flavorful pearl onions, we found that they were best served by a dual cooking approach of browning followed by braising. Browning the onions in olive oil and butter helped to enhance their natural sweetness. Braising them in chicken broth added savoriness. Brown sugar and rosemary were welcome additions. When trimming the root ends of the blanched onions, shave off the thinnest slice possible. If too much is taken off, the onion will fall apart. You can substitute frozen pearl onions for the fresh onions in this recipe; frozen pearl onions come already peeled, so skip step 1.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound pearl onions
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1½ tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
- Salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Drain in colander and run under cold water until cool to touch, about 1 minute. Transfer onions to paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Trim root and stem ends, then peel onion skins.
- Melt butter with oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Add broth, sugar, and rosemary and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until onions are tender, about 12 minutes.
- Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until liquid is reduced to syrupy glaze, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
