Soubise S'prize

NAME: _Soubise S'prize

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INGREDIENTS/UTENSILS:
3 - 5 brown onions
50g butter (around half a stick)
1 scant tsp bicarb
salt, pepper to taste
2 tbsp water
1 cup cream

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METHOD:
Peel and dice the onions, place in a saucepan  with the butter, water, a pinch of salt, and the bicarb. Bring to a boil and allow the water to evaporate, then reduce the heat a lot and allow to slowly cook for around 30 - 60 minutes. It will turn yellow but as it slowly cooks that colour will fade. Don't let it brown, the aim is to keep the onion just cooking without browning.

Once the onion is at that stage whisk or blend it to a creamy consistency, add the cream, and then season as required. May be returned to gentle heat to thicken a bit, or used as is, depending on what you're serving with it.

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SERVING:
This is a great sauce for plainly cooked or roasted fish, chicken, or lamb, and adds guts to a beef steak.

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NOTES:
This sauce can be made with a lot of variations, it was traditionally made with bechamel sauce or a veloute, but cream or even creme fraiche makes for a lovely light sauce.

You can add curry spices, or just simple herbs, or cook off a pinch of mashed garlic with the onions towards the end of the onion cooking time, or cook the onion in olive oil rather than butter. This sauce has been made a variety of ways from region to region, and I see no reason to stick to any one recipe or make it the One True Way. (Which varies from one person to the next anyway...) So have a go at adapting this.

As I said, the recipe has had a number of variations, and is generlly made with the onions as white as possible. But that's a preference, I prefer a richer yellow to brown appearance, and if you allow the onions to cook to a medium brown and then think it with beef stock and a few other ingredients it makes a very acceptable French Onion soup basis as well. It's also a great start for an onion gravy.

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ENJOY!