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Extremely simple to make with a sweet, mild flavor.
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/kenji-lopez-alt-9e7ff3ba54e24328a853d774a05fd4b8.jpg "Creamed Pearl Onions Recipe (1)")
Updated January 05, 2024
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Why It Works
- Cooking the onions slowly produces a deep, mellow flavor.
- This recipe is dead simple, and rather than using a roux, just calls for cream and a bay leaf.
Pearl onions don't have quite the sweetness of their larger counterparts, or even of the candy-sweet cipollini or shallots, but they do have a similar bite. What does this mean for cooking them? It means that the best pearl onion recipes are ones that tame the bite while bringing out the natural flavor of the onions withoutrelying on them to provide much sweetness.
For me that means one of two methods: glazed or creamed. Both methods start out the same: by peeling pearl onions.
The easiest way to peel pearl onions is to not bother doing it at all and just pick 'em up peeled and frozen. In ourblind taste test, we found that tasters were pretty evenly split on fresh vs. frozen onions. If you've had them frozen in the past and enjoyed them, there's no reason to switch.
But if you do want to start with fresh ones (they tend to have a slightly firmer texture and milder flavor when cooked), you can peel them by first cutting off the tops and bottoms with a paring knife and scoring one cut side with a small X in order to help you peel off the skin later on. After that, it's a quick dunk in a hot pot of boiling water just to loosen the outer layers. About one minute will do you. After a shower under the cold tap, they should be easy to peel with your fingers. (A short video appears below which demonstrates this process.)
Creamed onions are all about slow, slow cooking to produce a rich, mellow flavor. Some folks like to add a flour-and-butter roux to thicken and stabilize their creamed onions. As with other avenues in life, I prefer my creamed onionsau natural, with nothing but heavy cream to coat them with (and ok, a bay leaf to flavor that cream).
Another option is glazing your onions, which is even simpler. But whether you cream or glaze your onions, chopped parsley is a perfect partner.
0:47
Knife Skills: How To Prepare Pearl Onions
November 2013
Recipe Details
Creamed Pearl Onions
Prep20 mins
Cook30 mins
Active10 mins
Total50 mins
Serves6 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds pearl onions(see note)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Directions
Using a paring knife, trim off the ends of each onion and score a light "X" into one cut side. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add onions and cook until outer layers are soft, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain onions and run under cool water until cold enough to handle. Peel onions with your fingers and discard peels.
Place onions in a medium saucepan and add heavy cream, stock, and bay leaf. Heat over medium-high heat until simmering, then lower heat to maintain a very gently simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cream has reduced to a rich sauce, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, discard bay leaf, stir in parsley, and serve. If sauce breaks and turns greasy, stir in 2 tablespoons of water and shake pan vigorously over high heat until it comes back together.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2013__11__20131214-creamed-pearl-onion-recipe-2-49d4ba7c535448db9717112543a986aa.jpg "Creamed Pearl Onions Recipe (3)")
Notes
Frozen pearl onions can be used in place of fresh. To use frozen onions, cook direct from frozen, skipping step 1.
Read More
- How to Peel Pearl Onions
- Easy Roasted Cipollini Onions
- Roasted Shallots With Buttery Sweet-Tart Glaze
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 203 | Calories |
| 15g | Fat |
| 17g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 203 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 15g | 19% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 46% |
| Cholesterol 45mg | 15% |
| Sodium 131mg | 6% |
| Total Carbohydrate 17g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 8% |
| Total Sugars 8g | |
| Protein 3g | |
| Vitamin C 10mg | 49% |
| Calcium 63mg | 5% |
| Iron 1mg | 3% |
| Potassium 313mg | 7% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
