Sauce Soubise, or Coulis d'oignons Soubise (Onion Sauce)

Ingredients

• First Method:
• 500 grammes onions
• butter
• half a litre thick sauce Béchamel
• a pinch of fine salt
• a pinch of white pepper
• a strong pinch of powdered sugar
• 80 grammes butter
• 1 décilitre cream
• Second Method:
• 500 grammes onions
• thin bards of pork fat
• 120 grammes Carolina rice
• 7 décilitres white consommé
• salt
• 25 grammes butter
• butter and cream to finish

Instructions

1. First Method: slice 500 grammes of onions and blanch them fairly strongly, then drain them thoroughly.
2. Stew them in butter without letting them colour.
3. Add half a litre of thick sauce Béchamel, a pinch of fine salt, a pinch of white pepper and a strong pinch of powdered sugar.
4. Finish cooking gently in the oven, then pass through the étamine.
5. Reheat the sauce and bring it to point with 80 grammes of butter and 1 décilitre of cream.
6. Second Method: blanch the sliced onions as above, drain them, and put them at once into a Russian pan of proportionate size entirely lined with thin bards of pork fat.
7. Add 120 grammes of Carolina rice, 7 décilitres of white consommé, salt, pepper and sugar as above, and 25 grammes of butter.
8. Bring to the boil and cook very gently in the oven.
9. Pound the rice and onions in the mortar and pass through the étamine.
10. Reheat and bring to point with butter and cream, as in the first method.