My friend
Jim Holton is an interesting guy. Look
him up here. He has an unusually wide range of things that
charge him up. Jim is a top jazz piano
player, really one of the best in Philly, a historian of the piano, able to
play anything called. Like him on
Facebook for information about current gigs.
Basketball and football are passions, along with Scotty the Deacon Dog
and the beautiful Cindy LeBlanc. With Christine
Djalleta, Cindy and Jim are the music ministers at our church, St. John’s Lutheran in Ambler, PA,
where he leads a monthly Jazz Vespers service along with the Jazz and Gospel
service each third Sunday. It would be
foolish to miss Jim on piano, Hideo Morris (vibes), Paul Deck (drums), Christine
(vocals), Cindy (flute) and the great Tyrone Brown, an absolute gentleman,
playing bass. Occasionally, a young
guitarist on his way up named Patrick Farrell sits in with the group. The service starts at 10:30. Be there!
Whenever the
phone rings, I’m happy to hear from Jim, although I never know where the
conversation will go. Social justice
issues are a common topic. Diet and weight
loss, his success and my struggles usually come up. Don’t get Jimmy going about global warming
unless your afternoon is clear. Yesterday,
who knows why, we spent a bit of time talking about steaks and onions.
The
following is a recipe for onion confit, a kind of an onion jam with a rich
sweetness that works well paired with full flavored main courses, particularly
grilled foods. Additionally, it can be
served as a hors d'overe, cold as a canapé maybe topped with smoked
chicken or grilled shrimp. Here’s the
master recipe. Onions are fibrous
things. You'll have to slice them properly. Here's how.
In order to break them down you
cannot be in a hurry. The key is long,
slow, low temperature cooking that will turn the onions into jam. Better yet, this caramelization process results
in a sweet finished product, without the hot burning character of most quickly sautéed
onions. It also reheats well. Resist the urge to cut corners and sneak in
some brown sugar. It isn’t necessary if
you take your time, plus it reduces the depth of flavor you get from cooking
the confit properly. Also, do not think
you will get a better confit by using sweet onions. Vidalias are only sweet when raw. Once you cook them, they taste like any other
white or Spanish onion.
_____
Confit of Onions
3 large Spanish onions,
thinly sliced with the grain
1 tbs. unsalted butter*
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp, a few grinds,
white pepper
In a heavy stockpot with a
tight fitting lid, melt the butter on low heat.
When the butter has melted, but still looks creamy, add the onions,
season with salt and pepper. Stir to
coat the onions with butter, then cover the pot and allow the onions to
sweat. Stir the pot every 5
minutes.
After the onions have yielded
their liquid and become translucent, about 20 minutes, uncover the pot and
continue to cook the onions on low heat.
Over the next 15 minutes, liquid will slowly evaporate and
caramelize. Continue to cook the onions,
stirring constantly until they are dry
and look like preserves. Keep warm in a
double boiler until it is time to serve.
Use the onion confit as a
topping on grilled meats or sautéed liver.
Grilled steaks are a perfect match.
You also might want to serve the confit with grilled lamb shoulder
chops. If you plan to do that, add 1
tsp. curry powder to the onions halfway through cooking.
*There are two reasons that
I use unsalted butter. First, the only reason
a dairy adds salt to butter is to preserve it.
If you buy unsalted butter, you may be getting a marginally fresher
product. Second, I’m cranky and I insist
on controlling every aspect of my cooking.
If I want salt in a dish, I wanna be the guy who put it in there.
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