It is not a galette as it uses puff pastry and not a pizza as it uses puff pastry and not a pie as it uses….you got it, puff pastry. It still however is an easy dinner on a busy night, as the onions can be cooked the night before.
Walla Walla onions come from Washington state. They are sweet and when they get an hour over low heat all that sweetness comes to the fore, highlighting the sherry.
Feel free to use a different herb for the garnish. I thought the tarragon was appropriate for something that contains all the flavours of French onion soup but if the parsley is sitting on the windowshelf, change it up.
Did you know that ancient Egyptians planted onions in their gardens and honoured them as gods? It is said that onions were also used to consecrate swords and knives by using the juices of freshly cut onions. And speaking of juices, in folk medicine, onions were also cut and rubbed over areas in need of healing, just as garlic was. The vegetables were then thrown away as it was intended that they had absorbed the affliction.
You will need:
1 sheet puff pastry
3 large Walla Walla onions
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 – 4 Tbsp. sherry
salt and pepper
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
freshly chopped tarragon or chives or parsley
There is so much bounty at this tme of the year. It seems like there is no end in site of ripe, delicious possibilities. Hold gratitude in your heart as your prepare to begin. Bring your focus into the present moment and enjoy the opportunity to provide a tasty meal for yourself and your family. Give thanks, open your heart and begin.
Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and pop in the fridge to thaw.
Take the skins off the onions, cut in half and then thinly slice.
In a large frying pan on low to medium heat, add the olive oil and the place the onions slices on top. Onions will loose a lot of volume as they cook down to if the pan seems full to begin with that is alright.
This next step is going to take some time, possibly up to an hour. The intention here is not to brown the onions, so keep the heat at low to medium and if they are getting brown too quickly, turn the heat down.
Stir every fifteen minutes or so and more often as the onions soften.
About 45 minutes in add the sherry. In all honesty I didn’t measure. I was at the bottom of the bottle and I just tipped it all in. White wine can be substituted if you prefer.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
Turn the oven to 400 degrees as the last of the moisture evaporates from the onions. They should be soft and a slightly golden colour at this point.
On a cooking sheet add a full roll of puff pastry. I buy a package that comes in two squares rolled up individually. If yours come in a different manner, use one 10 to 12 inch square.
Place the plain pastry on a parchment papered tray in the oven for 7 minutes until the puffing has begun and a slightly golden brown colouris seen on the top of the pastry.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 1/3 cup gruyere cheese.
Top with the cooked onions. It is best to spoon them onto the pastry which will be deflating as you work. Place the onion in different locations, making less work to move them about and possibly damage the pastry below.
Use a slotted spoon to keep any extra moisture in the pan. Ihave in the past thivkened the juice and added it in but if the onions are cooked long enough all the moisture will evaporate.
Top with the remaining 2/3 cup cheese and return to the oven as quickly as possible. Continue baking for another 15 minutes.
When removed from the oven, sprinkle finely chopped tarragon on top and serve immediately with a simple salad for dinner.
As mentioned above, cooking the onions the night before and reheating before finishing the pastry will cut down on prep time. If you are at home then, with a little checking in every so often, the onions can simmer away on a back burner during the afternoon.
Another option is to cut the unbaked pastry into 2 by 2 inch squares and complete as appetizers. All the flavours of French onion soup served up on crispy puff pastry.
French Onion Something or Other from My Kitchen Wand
