Recipe: Creamed Onions Mornay

This recipe is a little spin on traditional Creamed Onions.  Traditional Creamed Onions is made with a basic white sauce.  This recipe adds a soft Gruyere/Swiss cheese flavor, that in my opinion, takes the dish to a whole new level. 

So Just What is a Mornay Sauce? 

Mornay sauce is a wonderful cheese sauce that enhances many dishes. It is a basic Béchamel sauce or White sauce that has Gruyere or Swiss cheese added… a bit of nutmeg is usually added as a spice, along with salt and pepper. 

If you haven’t had this sauce… you are definitely missing out. 

TIPS 

Gruyere tends to be very expensive… a less expensive alternative is using a mix of Swiss and gruyere.. Sargento makes an Artisan Blend of Swiss and Gruyere that’s excellent and more affordable.

This makes a thick sauce… if you prefer a thinner sauce, add a ½ cup more milk.

See my previous post SauceMaking Basics for tips on making sauces.

I use frozen pearl onions, you can use fresh.. just peel and trim them.. and boil them gently until soft.

I don't recommend the pearl onions in a jar.. I personally don't like the processed taste and feel it overwhelms the sauce taste... but you can certainly use them if that's your preference.

You can serve this dish as pictured above or cook it as directed then put the creamed onions in a baking dish and sprinkle the top with some additional grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees F until it is bubbling hot and the top has browned slightly.

This is a really quick side dish that is sure to please.. a perfect accompaniment to many meats and fish.






Recipe:  Creamed Onions Mornay

All you need:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

¼ cup Sargento Artisan Blend Shredded Swiss and Gruyere Cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

1 small bag frozen Birds Eye Pearl onions, cooked

All you need to do:

Cook the onions until soft.  I put them in a microwaveable dish with about 2 tablespoons water.  Cover and microwave on high until they are soft.  Set them aside and make the sauce.

In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

Add the 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well.

Cook for about 2 minutes to “cook off” the flour taste.

Slowly pour the milk into the saucepan, whisking constantly with a whisk.

Whisk vigorously to make sure there are no lumps. Sauce will thicken fairly quickly.

Remove from the heat and add the shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir well until cheese is melted… about 2 minutes. Sauce will be very thick.

Remove the cooked onions with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce.  Stir well and either put them in a baking dish (*See TIPS) and bake with an additional topping of grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese; or simply put them in a serving dish and serve.