Boiled Onions

A braise, despite the title: the onions are browned in fat, barely covered with stock, and finished under cover in the oven. The original assumes a cook who knows what to reach for, so a few blanks need filling.

• The name is misleadingNothing here is boiled; the onions are browned first, then finished in stock in the oven. The method is close to the French oignons glaces a brun, though the recipe calls for enough consomme to cover and says only to serve when tender, not to reduce the liquid to a glaze.
• Fat is unstatedButter is the likely intention for a French recipe of this kind, though the text does not say. About 2 tablespoons for 12 onions is enough to brown them without frying hard.
• ConsomméConsomme -- clarified stock, in a household of this date drawn from the stockpot. Any decent unsalted beef or chicken stock works; if using commercial stock, hold back the salt in the seasoning until the end, since the liquid concentrates as it cooks.
• "A plate over the dish"The plate is the lid. A tight lid traps too much steam and the onions never glaze; a plate laid over the dish lets a little moisture escape. A loosely fitted lid or a round of parchment does the same job.
• Oven temperatureUnstated, as usual. A moderate oven, 350F, is right here. Hotter and the stock reduces to nothing before the onions soften.
• TimingReckon 40 to 60 minutes depending on size. They are done when a knife slides to the centre without resistance and the remaining liquid coats them. If the onions soften before the stock reduces, finish uncovered on the stovetop.
• Onion size"Small onions" means pickling or boiling onions, roughly 1 to 1½ inches. Peel them and trim the root end flat but do not cut it away, or they will fall apart. Modern frozen pearl onions are too small and too watery for this treatment.
• YieldTwelve small onions serve three or four as a side dish alongside roast meat.