White Onion Cream Sauce

Onions are one of the most common ingredients we use in our cooking, and it's hard for me to believe there was once a day where I actually hated onions!  I think it was more of a texture thing than the actual onion flavor- but I would refuse to eat anything that I knew had onions in it.  This white onion cream sauce is a great way to sneak onions in for those picky eaters that would probably enjoy the flavor if they didn't even know onion was in the dish to begin with.  I could eat this sauce by the spoonful, it is that good.  We used it for a white pizza and it was a perfect base for the toppings.  It would also be good with pasta, over broccoli, or in a rice dish.  Thanks to Serious Eats for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Start by heating a pot over medium-high, and add the butter.  When it has melted, add the onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  

Cook and stir frequently until they have just started to brown (5-7 min).  Next, add the wine and bring to a simmer, until the liquid has almost completely reduced.  

Add the cream and bring to a simmer, continuing to stir frequently.  When the mixture has reduced by 1/3, about 10 minutes.  

Blend with an immersion blender or regular blender.  A regular blender will get a you a completely smooth consistency, while the immersion blender leaves some chunks. (that's what we used)  Season to taste with more salt and pepper.  
If you want it to thicken more, leave it in the pot uncovered for a few more minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.  

Serve as pizza sauce like we did, or on another dish like pasta or with veggies.  It is a simple recipe but has tons of delicious flavor!

Mulled Wine

Hot mulled wine was the perfect way to greet our guests when they came in from the freezing cold for a winter cocktail party.  It's warm and spicy and I completely understand why they drink it so often in The Game of Thrones series!  Using a crock pot makes it easy to control the temperature and keep it hot without boiling.  You don't have to use expensive wine, but it does make a difference to at least use a bottle you would drink on it's own.  We chose a bold variety that already had tones of cinnamon and spice so we could build on that flavor.

Ingredients:
4 bottles red wine (or less if you aren't making it for a huge group!)
8 cinnamon sticks
1 T whole cloves
1 T whole all spice
peel from one orange and one lemon
juice from the orange and lemon
1 3 inch chunk of peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
Combine the cinnamon, cloves, all spice, orange and lemon peel onto a piece of cheese cloth.  (If you don't have cheese cloth you can still do the wine without it, but you will have to strain the wine before serving).  Tie it into a bundle and secure with twine.

Pour the wine into a crock pot and set heat to low.  Add sugar and stir.

Place the bundle of mulling spices into the pot along with the fresh ginger.  Put the lid on and heat for about one hour or until very hot. Check it occasionally to make sure it never comes to a boil.  We didn't have any issues with ours on the low setting. Then, turn heat to warm setting until you are ready to serve.

Use a ladle to pour the wine into mugs. If you didn't use cheese cloth for the mulling spices, make sure to strain the wine first.

Duke Dog Pride magnet in the reflection!

Be careful... this wine goes down easy!