Sous Vide Caramelized Red Onions with Honey, Balsamic and Thyme

I'd heard that some sous vide chefs have had their bags explode when they cook onions — they say onions release a gas as they cook, and the air-tight bags cannot contain those gasses. Not willing to risk it, I decided to quickly cook these red onion wedges before they went into the cooker, then just set them and forget them. Because I like a lot of thyme flavor, I prefer to add fresh thyme to the warm onions after they cook. These onions are good warm or room temperature, by the way. If you store them in the fridge and use them a day or two later, let the chill come off the onions before adding them to steaks, sandwiches, pizza toppings—whatever inspires you. These are great in so many ways. Note: Onions can be stored up to 5 days, covered and refrigerated.

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:20

Recipe Time: 01:30

Temperature : 185F / 85C

Ingredients

• 3 medium red onions
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Directions

1. Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 185ºF (85ºC).
2. Peel onions, leaving root end intact. Cut onion into wedges through root end.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.
4. Add balsamic and let reduce for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in honey.
5. Transfer onions to a large zipper lock bag. Seal the bag using the water immersion technique and place in the water bath. Set the timer for 1 1/2 hours, or up to 2 hours.

Finishing Steps

1. When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Transfer the onions to a serving platter. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve as an accompaniment to meats, or as an addition to sandwiches or pizza.