Sunday, September 9, 2007

Rejiggered Recipes

My enthusaism for food eventually betrayed itself in my cocktail blog, Rejiggered. I posted two of my favorite snack recipes there.

One was a bright grilled pineapple salsa I served it to some good friends who came over for drinks and dinner. I am intrigued by the deep, smoky flavors grilled fruits bring to salsa. This recipe is just the first of many variations, I am sure.

Another was a simple pesto recipe. I tend to prefer assertive flavors, in pesto and in general, so this version is heavy on garlic and pepper. I brought it to a cocktail party this summer, along with crostini -- and brought back an empty bowl.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

French Onion Sandwich

This recipe is original, like all you will see on this blog, and absolutely one of my favorites. Imagine French onion soup, with an exaggerated crouton and an ultimately minimalist stock.

French Onion Sandwich

3 lb yellow onion
4 T unsalted butter
2 pinches sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
1 sprig fresh thyme (leaves only)
1/4 C white wine
Unsalted butter
3/4 C shredded gruyere cheese (Swiss is a good substitute)
1 ciabatta loaf or baguette

Slice onions crosswise (not pole to pole) into 1/8" strips. Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, salt and sugar. Cover and cook for 10 min. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook onions until deeply caramelized--60 to 90 minutes. (Admittedly, this is a long time. It's definitely "slow food.") Add thyme and wine. Stirl until absorbed. Remove from heat.

Slice bread into 3 sandwich size pieces splitting each into a top and bottom. Butter each slice liberally and place open faced on baking sheet. Divide onions evenly between the three bottom pieces. Divide cheese evenly among three tops. Bake at 425 until cheese is melted and lightly browned in spots.

Assemble tops and bottoms and serve.

Makes 3 sandwiches. My apologies for the unusual serving size -- increase or decrease proportions as needed for your table, without adjustments.