Last week, we gave you alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving sides like sweet potatoes, green beans, and cranberries. Here's another: pearl onions. If your only encounters with pearl onions have been the creamed or defrosted-from-a-box-of-frozen-peas variety, the appeal of those little white orbs might have eluded you. But these five updated, jewel-toned recipes are sure to put pearl onions in a whole new light.
Ranging in color from white to red to yellow, pearl onions are small (about an inch in diameter), mild, and sweet. Usually eaten whole, they can be glazed, roasted, sautéed, added to stews, pickled, and, yes, creamed. Here's the shortlist of recipes we're considering for this Thanksgiving. Do you have any others to share?
• 1 Glazed Pearl Onions in Port with Bay Leaves, from Bon Appétit. We're pretty sure anything would taste good glazed in Port, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar.
• 2 Glazed Pearl Onions and Grapes, from Gourmet. Red grapes are an unusual, juicy addition to this side dish.
• 3 Curried Creamed Onions, from Saveur. These creamed onions are anything but lackluster with the addition of curry powder and Tabasco.
• 4 Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions, from Gourmet. We hesitated to include another creamed onion recipe, but this one has received rave reviews.
• 5 Cranberry, Quince, and Pearl Onion Compote, from Gourmet. Pearl onions and cranberry relish get updated with this gorgeous recipe.
Tip: Pearl onions must be peeled before cooking. The trick to removing their papery skins is to place them in boiling water for a minute, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water. Trim the ends with a knife and slip off the skins.
Related: Recipe: Confetti Potatoes and Pearl Onions
(Images: Tim Morris/Bon Appétit, Roland Bello/Gourmet, James Oseland/Saveur, Ditte Isager/Gourmet, John Kernick/Gourmet)
© 2010 Apartment Therapy
I prefer my onions boiled with a little salt.
view clampers's profile
The brown-braised onions (oignons glacés à brun) from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking are delicious and versatile as well as supremely easy.
The recipe calls for slightly larger onions (1" dia.) but pearl onions work beautifully. The dish looks, smells, and tastes wonderful.
view Slow Lorus's profile
Now these could spice up our Thanksgiving feast with just the variety we need. I am particularly curious about Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions.
view Teacherteacher's profile
Is it terrible that when I saw this picture of the onions with port and bay leaves, I thought it looked like a bowl of eyeballs? Maybe this should be served around Halloween instead of Thanksgiving. :)
On a more serious note, I second the comment praising Julia Child's brown-braised onions!
view misplacedtexan's profile
I made the first recipe last year for Christmas, it was delicious!
view Splaine's profile
I made Ina Garten's caramelized shallots for Thanksgiving last year and they were awesome. The little hit of acid from some red wine vinegar is just amazing. They definitely made it to the repeat list for this year.
view arbequina's profile
Sorry, nothing beats creamed onions... especially when you consider the dish's long history!
http://dineandcook.com/2009/11/24/old-culinary-traditions-creamed-onions/
view abroch's profile