You asked for it, you got it: Onions. It seems to vary a little from
year to year, but this is what I did this year.

Creamed Pearl Onions

Notes - The basic idea is simple: pearl onions, cover with cream sauce,
          gratin & bake.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ingredients

   * 3 pounds frozen pearl onions
   * 1 stick unsalted butter
   * 8 Tablespoons flour
   * 2 cups whole milk
   * 2 cups heavy cream
   * 0.5 teaspoon nutmeg
   * Salt and black pepper
   * Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup?
   * shredded Reggiano Parmigiano - 2 to 3 tablespoons?


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Procedure

Onions:
Defrost the onions without cooking them. I used a sieve over a bowl, but
you could immerse them in water instead. In any event, once they are
thawed, drain off and pat dry as much water as possible.

Sauce:
Measure out the flour and have it ready; combine milk and cream in a
measuring cup.

Melt butter over low heat in a 3-qt. saucepan. When butter is melted,
increase heat slightly and heat until butter is bubbling. Add flour and
whisk until all lumps are gone, being sure to get the recalcitrant bits of
flour up from the bottom corners of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes,
whisking, until mixture becomes frothy. Increase heat to medium. Add about
half of the milk/cream mixture, whisking to disperse the butter/flour
mixture throughout the liquid, and again getting the flour bits up from
the bottom. As the mixture begins to heat up, whisk in remainder of
liquid. Allow mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until
thickened (about 3 minutes). Whisk in nutmeg, and salt and pepper to
taste.

Assembly:
Place thawed-and-dry onions in a shallow casserole or baking dish. Pour
cream sauce over. Stir it a bit to distribute the onions through the
sauce. Smooth out the top, then top with bread crumbs to cover. Top bread
crumbs with a meager layer of cheese. Bake uncovered at 350F until sauce
is bubbling, about 20 to 30 minutes. Optionally, brown top with propane
torch.

--
Chris Hill         jchill@dgsys.com
(place witty saying here)