Serves 4 to 6
• 6 medium-sized onions (about 1½ lbs.)
• 4 Tbs. butter
• 4 Tbs. flour
• scant ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ tsp. salt
• white pepper to taste
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 egg yolks
• 5 egg whites
• pinch of cream of tartar
• garnish
• any good light tomato sauce
1. Peel the onions and cut 5 of them in quarters. Boil the quartered onions in enough lightly salted water to cover them until they are completely tender. Drain them and reserve the water. Mince the cooked onions.
2. Finely chop the last raw onion and, in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, sauté onions in the butter until they begin to color. Lower the heat and stir in the flour. Cook the roux for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then add ⅓ cup of the reserved onion water and all of the cream. Stir the mixture over low heat until it is perfectly smooth and very thick.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the minced cooked onions, salt, a little white pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, the grated Parmesan cheese, and beat in the egg yolks.
4. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they form stiff, shiny peaks. Stir about 1 cup of the beaten egg whites into the onion sauce, then gently fold in the remaining whites.
5. Pile the mixture carefully into a buttered 2-quart soufflé dish and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve immediately with a simple, light tomato sauce.
