Shallot, shallot and more shallot

[bittersweet]

I started including them in omelettes for my son when he was young and now he won't have eggs without them. Finely mince and saute in butter. When golden, splash in a little vermouth. Add to omelette filling with gruyere and chopped parsley.

[santo_grace]

bittersweet - I was reading through the entire thread and thinking the whole time - omelettes! That is the most popular use we have for them in our house. We wil have to try the vermouth - one question though - sweet or dry?

A quick recipe is to carmelize some shallots (about 2 thinly sliced) and throw in some shrimp, 1 tbl. sugar and 2 tbl. thai chili sauce and cook until shrimp is done. Serve over rice. So quick and yummy.

[mrbigjas]

my second experiment with shallots didn't go so well = ended up burning the char out of them...

they were coming out perfectly - the whole apartment was filled with that pleasant smell and then before you know I got distracted

and as I went back, they were charred.

still tried to eat them but they were really really bitter

the good news is  - I still have over 4 lbs to continue ;-)

←

i totally did that the last time i fried them too. just turned my back for a couple minutes and it was all over.

[bittersweet]

santo_grace, I keep a bottle of dry Vermouth right next to the olive oil on my stove. It's my go-to deglazer. I've made the omelette without using the vermouth and it's great both ways.

I really love shallots and try to substitute them for onions whenever I can.

[Restorer]

But yes, one of the things I kept hearing (on ftv) that its a mix of onion and garlic was no where to be found.

←

I too remember hearing this on FTV, and it seems to me that I've heard it on more than one show, but I do remember hearing it on Good Eats. While browsing the Good Eats Fan Page Episode List, which includes transcripts of each episode, I came across where Alton Brown mentioned this garlic/onion cross - in the Butter episode. He says, "Well structurally it's like, well, imagine if an onion and head of garlic got together and got married and had kids." Emphasis on structurally. Don't know if that's how the other hosts meant it when they described the shallot as a cross between onion and garlic.

[repoman]

I like to put them on skewers and grill them. Basting with olive oil and/or balsamic or sherry vinegar as they cook. The segments almost fall apart when done and then I will mix that with some baked or mashed potatoes or put them on a steak.

I also use them in Salsa and Guacamole because my wife doesn't like the stronger taste of onions.

[EdS]

Since there are already lots of good ideas here, all I'll say is that shallots are my favorite ingredient.

[kiteless]

It seems simple, but I haven't yet seen it mentioned: add a good amount of thickly sliced shallots to cubed potatoes for oven roasting. They get crispy and delicious. I also sliced several shallots thickly and added to the bottom of the roasting pan when I was oven roasting a chicken the other night. Although they were greasy, they were again delicious and carmelized and crispy and my husband and I fought over them.

I also like to pan fry them until crispy and use them as a topping for meat. I guess I prefer them crispy and carmelized than delicate and tender.

[merstar]

It seems simple, but I haven't yet seen it mentioned: add a good amount of thickly sliced shallots to cubed potatoes for oven roasting. They get crispy and delicious. I also sliced several shallots thickly and added to the bottom of the roasting pan when I was oven roasting a chicken the other night. Although they were greasy, they were again delicious and carmelized and crispy and my husband and I fought over them.

I also like to pan fry them until crispy and use them as a topping for meat. I guess I prefer them crispy and carmelized than delicate and tender.

←

That's how I prefer them also. Try them with roasted asparagus - slice them thin, saute until crisp, and add them to the asparagus with a little orange zest. Delicious!

Edited March 1, 2006 by merstar (log)

[Corinna Dunne]

I had a wonderful, caramelised shallot puree in a restaurant last night. I have never had it before and it really was incredibly delicious. The puree was silky smooth and fairly loose, served almost as a sauce on the dish. I would say that it had been thinnned with butter, not cream. It was served with roast fillet of pork, confit pork belly, mashed potato and an extremely good thyme jus. But it would be great with beef too.