White Onion Velouté

BY LINDA GARSON PHOTOS BY KEANE STRAUB

HIGHWOOD KITCHEN + BAR by SAIT recently hosted a wonderful multi-course dinner, and afterwards we received this request:

“As everyone at our table agreed, the soup course — which was a white onion velouté with caramelized onions and sherry gastrique — was simply delicious! I would very much like to make this to enjoy at home, and maybe even impress my family and friends. Might you be able to obtain the recipe for your readers? Cheers, TL”

The soup was made by Chef Kyle Groves who says he’s been making it since his days cooking in the UK. Many thanks to Chef Groves for sharing his recipe with us!

Kyle Groves’ White Onion Velouté with Caramelized Onions and Sherry Gastrique

Serves 6-8

225 g unsalted butter

4 white onions (about 1.375 kg) medium dice

6 cups (1.5 L) whole milk

60 g cold unsalted butter, cubed 20-30 g kosher salt

1. In a medium sized pot, melt 225 g butter on medium heat. Be sure to not let it brown. Once the butter is melted, add the chopped onions and cook slowly on medium heat until the onions are tender (they should easily be able to squish if you pinch one) This step may take up to 30 minutes and it is important not to rush it.

2. Once the onions are completely tender, add the milk. Bring the milk to a low simmer and cover with a lid that isn’t fully sealed (you need to allow a little evaporation). Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

3. Drain the milk (don’t throw it away) and then transfer the onions to a blender. Blend the onions and add the reserved milk so it blends evenly.

4. Once the soup is blended, add the 60 g of cold butter cubes a little at a time into the blender with the soup. Once all the butter is emulsified, add 20 g of kosher salt and then adjust the seasoning to taste (depending on evaporation, it may be up to about 30 g).

5. Strain the soup through a mesh strainer (don’t use an ultrafine strainer like a chinoise or you will remove the vegetable fibre that gives the soup its body).

Caramelized Onion

500 g onion, thinly julienned

2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil

15 mL demerara sugar

1. In a wide pan, heat the oil until hot on medium high heat. Add the julienned onions and stir regularly until they begin to brown slightly. Once the onions begin to brown, turn the heat down to low and allow to cook until they get completely soft and brown.

2. Stir the onions regularly but remember that they won’t colour if you stir them too much. If they start to stick, deglaze with about 100 mL of water at a time. This will also help the colour.

3. Once the onions are soft and dark brown, add the sugar and melt it just to glaze the onions. Remove the onions from the heat and allow to cool.

Sherry Gastrique

100 mL sherry vinegar

100 g white sugar

Combine vinegar and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes until you get a light syrup consistency. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

To serve, heat the soup and caramelized onions. Place a quenelle of the caramelized onion in the bowl and drizzle about 1 Tbs of gastrique on top of it. Pour the soup around the onions.

Tips!

• If you have leftover caramelized onions, they freeze wonderfully and you can use them in a pasta, risotto or even on a sandwich.

• The gastrique would work really well on sauteed mushrooms or on top of a risotto.

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