My six month old baby is hosting all night parties, and I am first on his guest list. He truly doesn’t understand Thanksgiving is nothing short of the Superbowl for Mommys who love to cook. If he did, he would surely let me tackle the preparation of my feast with some reserves instead of making me feel like I have just been sacked.
I am exhausted. The wine I am sampling while making onion gratin probably isn’t helping my cause, but it is delicious. And it’s making me a little buzzed. Touchdown.
As you know, a newborn baby requires constant attention. One is lucky to get some sleep for two-hour stretches, and this phase lasts for at least three months. One reaches a higher plane after a while, where the body remarkably adjusts to very little sleep. Sleep–along with showers, square meals, and “me time”–is a luxury. One becomes a walking “before” picture during this phase.
In my case, my son executed a perfect play fake. He started sleeping through the night– 7:00 p.m.-7:00 a.m.–and I began to feel like a real human being a few months ago. I let my defensive guard down, and started relying on him to sleep for twelve hours a night. Yes, I am a rookie Mommy.
Teething and cold season has brought us back to the minor league, and I feel like I am at the bottom of the pile. I am hoping I can pull Thanksgiving off without passing out at the table. I know my son will sleep through the meal (he’s good for two- to three-hour naps during the day), and that’s all that matters, right?
Onion Gratin
Recipe from Closet Cooking (with a few adjustments):
2 large yellow onions (peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices) plus one half of a bag of thawed frozen pearl onions
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
Topping: 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano or gruyere plus 1/4 cup of plain panko breadcrumbs moistened with a teaspoon of melted butter
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Carefully spread the onions onto a baking sheet keeping the rings intact. Drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Place the onions in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. While the onions are baking, heat cream and wine in a small saucepan until the mixture bubbles around the edges. (If your cream mixture separates, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until the mixture comes back together.) Remove the onions from the oven and transfer to a baking dish. Pour the cream mixture over the onions. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake another 35 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of the onions with cheese and panko breadcrumbs moistened with butter. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees, return the baking dish to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
