The Best Onion Gratin

from Cook with Jamie: My guide to making you abetter cook
submitted by Anne Halsted

preparation time: 1 hour 25 minutes overall
serves 4

4 medium red onions, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

A small wineglass of white wine (about ½ cup)

4 tablespoons crème fraîche

1¾ ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

1¾ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Break the onion quarters apart to give you little petals. Place onion petals in a 13-by-9-inch ovenproof glass or earthenware dish. Drizzle with a couple glugs of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss in the thyme and garlic. Mix up well, add the white wine, cover with a double-layer of aluminum foil, wrap tightly and place in the preheated oven.

Bake for 45 minutes then remove the dish from the oven, take the foil off, stir and pop the dish back in the oven for 15 minutes to start caramelizing. Once the onion is looking lightly golden, stir in the crème fraîche and sprinkle over the Gruyère and Parmesan. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and let the gratin tick away for about 15 minutes or until golden and gorgeous. You can eat this straight away or cool it down and flash it until a broiler later.