So-Good-You-Could-Bathe-In-It Onion Confit

In the two years that I’ve lived in Paris, both of my mother’s sisters have come to visit, and both of them have had the experience that is dining at Chez Fernand.

I’m sure the main dishes here are lovely, but I’ve been three times, and all three times, I only have eyes for one thing: the pâté de campagne with onion confit.

This onion confit is so good you could bathe in it… or at least… I could. It’s sweet and savory and buttery and tangy… it’s perfection in a sweet glass jar that they bring to the table, alongside a bowl of cornichons. Seriously, I just want a jar of that and the check, please.

I can’t afford to go out all the time, so one night, when Alex and I were having cheese for dinner (as we do every so often), I decided to try and make some of this onion confit for myself.

I was going off instinct, so I have no idea if this is the correct way to make onion confit, but I don’t care. The onion confit police can arrest me: I want this to be my last meal.

I’m offering this onion recipe up for the Just Get Floury call for onion recipes. A lot of recipes feature onions, but this is one of the few that has onions as one of the only ingredients.

Because I made this up as I went, the recipe is a bit free-form, and that’s OK! I’m going to offer you what I did, but you should feel free to tweak as you see fit, until you come up with a confit that is good enough to bathe in. Or… you know… serve, like a normal person, with an arrangement of pâtés and cheeses.

So-Good-You-Could-Bathe-In-It Onion Confit

Thinly slice 4-5 yellow onions. Heat a ridiculous amount of butter (maybe 3-4 tablespoons) in a skillet over low heat and add the onions and some salt. Allow them to cook and caramelize, stirring every so often. I like to add a tablespoon of white sugar to help the caramelization process along, but if you’re using sweet onions, this is probably unnecessary. When the onions are brown and start to smell amazing, open a bottle of dry white wine and pour yourself a glass. Then pour a bit into the pan with the onions and scrape the bits from the bottom. Allow the onions to simmer in the wine, adding more as the liquid evaporates until the onions have dissolved into a sticky, sweet delicious mess. Take a spoon and eat. Or serve in a more distinguished manner… I won’t judge.