This is really two dishes in one, a roasted onion side
dish or a simple salad dressing. I was seeking to lessen
the impact of onions on the pallet when I created this
dressing . It is similar to the honey balsamic dressing
in my first book. The sweetness and depth of flavor of
these roasted sweet onions (Ie. Vidalia or Maui) really
set off this dressing.
Yield: 1½ pints
Ingredients:
2 large sweet onions(Vidalia or Maui)
8 cloves peeled garlic, roasted
4 oz. balsamic vinegar, plus 2 ounces 10 year (see note)
12 oz. olive oil
¼ c. honey
salt and pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peal the outer bron skin
away from the onion.Wrap onion in some tin foil, leaving
an opening in the top. Drizzle onto the onion around 1
T. of olive oil, a n ounce of balsamic vinegar, and a
sprinkling of salt and pepper. Close the opening and place
on a baking sheet in the oven for 1 hour or until onion
is completely soft and translucent. Cool slightly and
place the entire onion and all the liquid into the bowl
of a food processor. Add vinegar and roasted garlic. Pulse
to puree. Add honey and pulse to combine. Turn the machine
on and drizzle in the remaining olive oil.
Note: You can use these same ingredients to make
a roasted sweet onion side dish. Serving size is around
one onion per person so adjust according to your needs.
Follow the above directions for roasting the onion. Instead
of pureeing and making a dressing out of the onion, it
makes and excellent side dish or topping with a nice,
thick, juicy steak.
Note: Balsamic Vinegar like wine is fermented.
Balsamic vinegar can be cheap or costly. The better balsamic
vinegars come from Italy and are listed as aged at least
ten years. The longer the aging the more mellow or less
acidic the vinegar. A good quality ten year balsamic is
recommended for salad dressing preparations. Less expensive
less aged balsamic vinegars will work but the results
could be less than satisfactory.
