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Creamed pearl onions in a silver serving dish with a silver spoon sprinkled with fresh herbs.
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5 from 1 vote

Pearl Onions

Creamy pearl onions are an earthy, sweet treat on your holiday table to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas roast. Made with whole coconut milk for creamy richness, there is no coconut taste and no dairy. Make these a day or two ahead, then heat before dinner.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds pearl onions
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
  • ⅓ cup cup water
  • 1 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk
  • 1-2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper, but the white disappears
  • ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese or vegan cheesy sprinkle optional

Instructions

Blanch and peel onions

  • Fill a medium pot (5-6 quart) ¾ full with cold water and bring to a boil. Drop in pearl onions and cook for 1 ½ minutes. While they are boiling, get a big bowl out, fill half way with ice and water to create an ice bath. Move the onions to the ice bath with a slotted spoon or small sieve. Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then drain.
  • To peel pearl onions, slice off a small bit of the root end then slip the skin off.

Finish creamed onions

  • Add cornstarch and the same amount of water to a small bowl and stir until smooth (called a slurry).
    Add the cream or coconut milk to a medium pan (about 3 quarts) and bring to a boil. When milk is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk into the milk. It will start to thicken. Cook for 1 minute to get rid of any raw cornstarch taste.
    Turn heat to low and stir in ⅓ cup of water. Add the onions, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic and thyme. Cover the pan and cook on low at a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the pearl onions are tender when pierced with a sharp paring knife. Add nutmeg to serve and Parmesan (optional).

Notes

Onions can be prepared a day or two ahead and heated in the oven in a covered dish or on the stove top in a pan, covered, over low heat until hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 624IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 0.4mg