Oh well. This wasn’t a terrific success. It was okay, but not anywhere as tasty as I expected based on the ingredients & other things like this I’ve had. It also came out a bit soupy when it came out of the oven. I’m going to put this up anyway, but as soon as I get a chance to get the recipe for my Aunt Cathy’s carrot-onion casserole, I’ll put that up & you can make that instead.
Preheat the oven to 375.
6 large onions, peeled and left whole
2 bay leaves
7 shallots, minced
butter for the dish & crumbs
salt, pepper, nutmeg
5-6 T. heavy cream
2 slices bread, crumbed (a mini food processor is helpful here)
Boil the onions in salted water with the bay leaves for 20 minutes. Remove gently and let cool. Slice horizontally in about ¼ in. slices – the easiest way to accomplish this is to set the onion on its base and cut it horizontally with a serrated knife, turning the onion slightly as you do in order to slice it all the way through and keep it in one piece. Butter a good-sized gratin dish (mine’s about 10 x 10) and place one layer of onion slices in the base of the dish. Season them with salt, pepper, and nutmeg & spread about 1/3 of the shallots over them. Repeat the layers until the onions and shallots are used up, seasoning as you go. Pour the cream over. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Toss the breadcrumbs with a little salt and pepper and about a T. of melted butter. After 40 minutes, sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the gratin and place the casserole back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.
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