Creamed Pearl Onions are a holiday classic, but we level ours up with some dry sherry and just a little smoky bacon. It's so good.
Creamed pearl onions is one of those holiday dishes that seems so unnecessary… until one year you don’t make it and everyone gets mad and you realize it’s a tradition for a reason, damn it. There’s something about that soft (but not too soft) texture and that simple, pale sauce that just works.
It’s a little smoky from the bacon. A little boozy from the sherry. Pure holiday delight.
Creamed Pearl Onions
Creamed Pearl Onions are a holiday classic, but we level ours up with some dry sherry and just a little smoky bacon. It's so good.
Servings: 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb 455 g small cipollini or pearl onions, unpeeled
- 4 slices thick-cut smoked bacon cut into a small dice
- ¼ cup 60 ml dry sherry
- 1½ cups 360 ml heavy cream
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp 6 g chives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the onions, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the onions, and transfer them to a bath of ice water until cool. Drain them again and peel, trimming the top and bottom, though leave a little of the root end intact. You can make a small slit with a paring knife down the side to make peeling easier.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel–lined plate. Set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the peeled onions and toss to coat in the fat. Add the sherry, and cook until the pan is almost dry, about 3 minutes. Add the cream, bay leaf, thyme, nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer.
- Partially cover the pot, leaving it a little ajar. Simmer the onions until they are nearly soft when pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes, then remove the lid and simmer until the cream is reduced by half, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs. Transfer the onions and sauce to a serving dish, and garnish with bacon and a handful of chives.
Notes
If the onions are fully soft before the cream has sufficiently reduced, you can
remove the onions with a slotted spoon and continue cooking the sauce to the
desired consistency.
remove the onions with a slotted spoon and continue cooking the sauce to the
desired consistency.
Tried this recipe? Let us know!Please consider adding a rating or a review! It really helps us out!
This dish is my absolute favorite part of all of thanksgiving. So savory and so, so, so satisfying. Amazing turkey topper or just to eat as is!
Thanks for your kind review, Emily!