Onions are popularhere at Skillet.
Raw or cooked, whole or chopped, they can bring balance and distinctly savory flavors to a dish.
One of my favorite ways to sneak in the complexity of this delightful allium is in a sauce.
Boost your savory dishes with a lazy soubise sauce.
(He can handle some dairy, but heavy cream is a hard no for him.)
Classically, the roux is transformed into a bechamel separately and reserved.
The onions are sauteed in butter and blended into a puree.
Finally, the two are combined to make a soubise sauce.
Mine is more casual, with fewer dishes to clean.
This lazy soubise is all done in one session, and built in one pot with optional pureeing.
Chop the onion into small pieces.
I would call it a messy, fine dice, but you could take it down to a mince.
The pieces shouldnt be much larger than a quarter-inch, unless you plan on pureeing it later.
Use a wooden spoon to move everything around and coat the onion in butter.
I like to use a Pyrex measuring cup so its easy to pour later.
Occasionally stir the onions so they sweat evenly.
They should become translucent, but not caramelized.
Knock down the heat if the onion starts picking up color before cooking through.
Thats not to say you should worry if the onions do get a bit brown.
The flavor will be great regardless, but soubise sauce is usually a blonde sauce.
Once the onions are cooked through and softened, toss in the flour and stir.
The mixture will become clumpy as the flour soaks up the fat.
Stir for about three minutes.
These are subtle changes, so if you cant identify them at first, its okay.
The goal is to cook off the raw flour flavor, and that only takes a couple minutes.
Switch to a whisk and slowly pour the heated milk into the pot.
Drizzle and whisk until smooth each time, but keep in mind the onions will remain chunky.
(Which is a great way to hide lumps if you have any.)
Take it off the heat.
Whisk in a dash of black pepper and youre ready to dress your dish.
Soubise makes a great condiment as well.
Explore new flavors by adding different spices that complement the flavors in the rest of your dish.
To reheat, simply microwave it, or rewarm it in a pot and stir until smooth.
Stir in the chopped onions and salt with a wooden spoon.
Sweat the onions until they become translucent, but not brown, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the flour and stir frequently for about 3 minutes.
The mixture will smell toasty.
Switch to a whisk and slowly drizzle in the hot milk.
Add a pinch of black pepper and use immediately.
