Roasted Onions with Gruyere & Croutons

Dear SaintTigerlily,

Thank you for coming to our "country house" this weekend and blessing us with your urban presence. I hope the carpenter ants and the ladybugs hibernating in the windows didn't bother you too much. Finding bugs in your bed is really the country experience. We just wanted it to feel "authentic" for you.

And speaking of country living, the tutus you hand-made for the girls are absolutely divine, they adore them and they keep asking if you can be their mom, so I appreciate that and all, but maybe next time you should wear underpants under the tutu when you take the garbage down to the road. I mean, you have a really nice ass and the neighbors really liked your vagina showing (You go with that Brazilian, girl!) but you know, this is the country and people are a bit more under-stated, practical...boring here. They like to wear pants.

They keep the beaver under wraps. It's beaver politics. Very sensitive. So for future reference, Tigerlily, pants = good.

And it was good of you to bring Ross and Gillian, Ross makes a mean Manhattan and since he was dolling them out like candy at the party Saturday night, I think we can say that it was a huge success because every grown-up was completely two ass cheeks to the wind by 8pm.


I bet that's why I found the grown-ups and the kids together playing with Playdoh on the kitchen floor at 10pm. I didn't want to mention this before, but the kids thought maybe things got out of hand when the adults started pitching Playdoh balls at them. I mean, they're just kids, not space invaders. Not for reals anyway.

And the way Ross and The Boss (Hey, how cute! That rhymes!) were cackling maniacally before pelting them with Playdoh submachine gun fire, well, that might have been a little scary. But other than frightening the children, and undermining their innate sense of security and safety, something we have been nurturing every day for the last 5 years, well, that whole completely inebriated stupor thing worked out for everyone.

That said, you guys are all a hoot and The Fosters had an awesome weekend. I'm including here the "Roasted Onions with Gruyere and Croutons" recipe from Bon Appetite that we made for the dinner party. This dish went nicely with the roasted leg of lamb that the butcher said was boneless but wasn't - butchers lie, they are evil in meaty white coats - and the roasted root vegetables and salad, which I mistakenly dotted with fat lumps of goat cheese, much to the chagrin of the vegans. I really, truly suck at this hostessing, pleasing people thing.

Tigerlily, thank you for prepping all these onions and being a friend in and out of the kitchen. It is so fun and such an honor to cook with you. And to also see how great your tits are up close and personal every morning. They really are awesome natural wonders and seem to stand up one their own without a bra. It's like they are oblivious to gravity and all other rational and scientific forces on earth....um, hope that's not too much in the sharing department.

xo YM
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This recipe from the December 2009 issue of Bon Appetite is easy to make, can mostly be made ahead and is the perfect hearty side dish for a big dinner. Leftovers are also wonderful in frittatas or topped with cheese and bacon on a bagel and fired in the oven. You could totally add this to your Thanksgiving repertoire since you could prep and caramelize the onions the day before and just throw the pan in the oven for 20 minutes before dinner. I bet they're better if you make them the day before anyway.


Roasted Onions with Gruyere & Croutons

Ingredients

12 white pearl onions, peeled
12 red pearl onions, peeled
8 large shallots, peeled, halved through root end
6 large green onions, dark green tops trimmed
2 medium sweet onions (such as Vidalia), peeled, cut into 3/4-to 1-inch wedges through root end
1 large red onion, peeled, cut into 3/4-to 1-inch wedges through root end
1 brown-skinned onion, peeled, cut into 3/4-to 1-inch wedges through root end
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups coarsely torn 1/2-inch pieces rustic bread with crust
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups packed)
Sea salt flakes or crystals
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Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine all onions and shallots in large bowl. Drizzle evenly with olive oil, then sprinkle with thyme, coarse salt, and pepper; toss gently to coat. Spread out in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet.

Roast onions until tender and beginning to brown in spots, 25 to 30 minutes. Scatter bread pieces on another rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Cool bread on baking sheet. Arrange onions in single layer in large casserole dish. DO AHEAD: Onions and croutons can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover onions and refrigerate.

Store croutons in airtight container at room temperature. Bring onions to room temperature before continuing.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spoon broth over onions to moisten. Scatter croutons over; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until heated through and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve.