Pearl Onions

[theabroma]

A further suggestion: bag the peach brandy and get out the Wild Turkey. Do this blanching and slipping of onion skins w/a friend. Fish each onion out of the ice water, and hold it between your thumb and index finger, near the blossom end of the onion. Press firmly, et voila ... a naked onion.

An afternoon spent shooting pearl onions at each other while sipping bourbon is a great way to unwind.

Regards,

Theabroma

[Malawry]

Do not be deceived. The onions are nearly impossible to peel when raw, and are only moderately easier to handle once blanched. You can pop them, but you'll often lose the outermost layer of onion flesh if you try it. And yes, you have to peel them, unless you relish onion skin.

Obviously, I'm still smarting from my decision to tackle 4lbs of these last week. I think next time somebody asks me to make boeuf bourgiugnonne for 67 people, I'll buy the frozen ones and dare anybody to make a stink about it.

[Megan Blocker]

A sleep-aided recollection:  you can incise a small 'x' in the base of the onion, not deep, but through the root hairs and dry skin, and barely into the flesh, and then blanch them after water returns to the boil for 1 minute.  Shock.  The skins will (largely) slip off.  This is a not entirely foolproof, but much easier way to undress the little beasties.

Theabroma

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I agree! I did this last week to the pearl onions I used in my coq au vin, and it worked very well.

Those are beautiful, Melissa - I think I speak for all of us when I request a follow-up report on their fate!

[chezcherie]

i love these...my favorite way to prepare them is to (yes, peel them..sigh) simmer them until tender in hard cider (pear or apple).

the cider will reduce down to a glaze, and i finish with a touch of butter and a shot of balsamic or raspberry vinegar...MUST be served in a glass bowl, because of jewel-like properties! gooo--oo---orgeous!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Those are beautiful, Melissa - I think I speak for all of us when I request a follow-up report on their fate! 

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As if you had any other option!! Of course they, les oignons, will be part of the Thanksgiving panorama that will include written food descriptions, photography so close as to be rated NC-17, and upclose talk about everything else possible ... thanks for the request, Megan!

[Katie Nell]

Could you not use one of those handy dandy garlic contraptions... the garlic peeler, to peel them? Forgive me if that's a stupid question, but it works well for garlic!

[chow guy]

I have the same ones in my fridge from Costco waiting for turkey day. They will last a long time if kept dry.

I blanch them in boiling water but even then, they often don't stay whole. After blanching, I dry them really well and brown them in an EVO/butter combo and then deglaze with dry sherry. I serve them on individual nests of rainbow chard. The're not as rich as creamed onions but still very tasty.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Could you not use one of those handy dandy garlic contraptions... the garlic peeler, to peel them?  Forgive me if that's a stupid question, but it works well for garlic!

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If it is the gadget that you roll the garlic clove in until the skin comes off, I think that the onion skins might be attached a bit differently. It is worth a try but I am not planning to buy one of those for this express purpose ... appreciate your idea however, Katie!

[Katie Nell]

Could you not use one of those handy dandy garlic contraptions... the garlic peeler, to peel them?  Forgive me if that's a stupid question, but it works well for garlic!

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If it is the gadget that you roll the garlic clove in until the skin comes off, I think that the onion skins might be attached a bit differently. It is worth a try but I am not planning to buy one of those for this express purpose ... appreciate your idea however, Katie!

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That's the one. I thought maybe you could trim the ends of the onions and then roll. I actually have one of the peelers, and though it works well, I don't use it very often. It's just one more gadget to clean!

[Pontormo]

This reminds me of a Thanksgiving right after college when Gary, an engineer for NPR, and I volunteered to cook for all the engineers and producers who had to work on the holiday. While we had cooked a number of meals for mutual friends, this was the first time either of us had planned a holiday meal ourselves, so far away from home.

The story's set-up is actually better than the puchline. Suffice to say that it was successful, and thank g-d them engineers were working late because it took forever the first time around.

What took longer than forever were those damned little pearl onions! For more than two dozen guests!

I won't link it, but take a look at this week's Food Section of The Washington Post; Hannnah may have pinned it already. There's a recipe inspired by precisely what inspired you: their visual appeel .

I suspect the selling of those precious polychromed pains that you purchased is due to the recent importation of cipollini, redundantly called cipollini onions at Whole Foods. The small flattened Italian onions are often prepared in the same way the Post recommends cooking PO's, i.e. so they're vinegary. However, I prefer them simply blanched for a minute or two (although this step is almost not necessary) and then popped in the oven to roast, slathered with EVOO and salt and pepper. Great with a roast of any sort.

The vinegary ones are usually associated with a large tray of antipasto where the accent is on vegetables, grilled, roasted or stuffed, served at room temperature.

Edited November 18, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I suspect the selling of those precious polychromed pains that you purchased is due to the recent importation of cipollini, redundantly called cipollini onions at Whole Foods.  The small flattened Italian onions are often prepared in the same way the Post recommends cooking PO's, i.e. so they're vinegary. 

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speaking of cipollini ... there is a recipe I am dying to try ...

[theabroma]

I suspect the selling of those precious polychromed pains that you purchased is due to the recent importation of cipollini, redundantly called cipollini onions at Whole Foods.  The small flattened Italian onions are often prepared in the same way the Post recommends cooking PO's, i.e. so they're vinegary. 

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speaking of cipollini ... there is a recipe I am dying to try ...

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Girl, you sure can pick your onions!! Cipps are a bit of a party to peel as well, at least the teensy ones. But they make great cocktail fare. Are you by any chance gonna share that recipe?

Theabroma

[Gifted Gourmet]

Girl, you sure can pick your onions!!  Cipps are a bit of a party to peel as well, at least the teensy ones.  But they make great cocktail fare.  Are you by any chance gonna share that recipe?

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click here for Cipollini and Bleu de Gex Tart Leite's Culinaria website ...

[Rebecca263]

At least you didn't get five pounds of the little devils. Not that anyone WOULD do that, unless they were considered nutty. Yes, I admit it. I did just that. Kiddle talked me into it for a dinner party we had, she adores tiny onions. No Wild Turkey for Mommy, and kiddle was NO HELP peeling. I cooked them separately, because I wanted to retain the color in the 'purple' ones, but they were quite faded. It took me FOREVER to get them peeled! Still, a big hit at dinner! I served them alongside a gorgeous humongous rice pilaf (bunch of vegans that night, kooky artists ).... so good! We had steamed whole carrots at the table as well, and everyone decided to call it the dinner of sticks and stones!

Gee, wish I had known about the hard cider bit, that sounds delicious!

[Eden]

peeling tiny onions=evil!

Sunday we had pearl onions boiled til just tender, then dredged in flour & browned in butter. quite good, kind of like a grown up onion ring, but much lighter because it's not an actual batter...

they're better if you slice them in half afer boiling (we did a mix to compare)

I lke the idea of sticks & stones!

[Gifted Gourmet]

Thanks for the great peeling ideas from this thread, everyone! Just finished them and it went quite smoothly ... the peels came off with not too much trouble after the blanching took place .. would I try this again? Absolutely!!

[Gifted Gourmet]

The onions kept much of their color in the final dish ...

[Dante]

Is there any way to peel pearl onions that doesn't subject one to a seeing age of tedium?

Sincerely,

Dante

[Peter the eater]

Plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds then scoop them out into cold water. Now they should squirt out with a little force. Trimming the tips off beforehand helps too.

[isomer]

I find that even if I blanch the onions first, they still take a long time to peel. Next time I need them, I'm going to try the frozen ones.

[Magictofu]

You could buy them frozen... a cheap cheat I admit but it works well for weekday stews.

[JAZ]

The frozen ones are great -- the dishes in which I've used them have been braised or baked, and I can't tell the difference there. Maybe there'd be a difference in texture if they were pickled; I'm not sure.