onion upside-down pie.

I came across this recipe while flipping through How to Be a Domestic Goddess on my way to the chocolate babycakes and remembered that it's been languishing on my ever-growing mental must-try-this list ever since I received the book as a gift a few years ago. (Thanks, S.!) Determined to make it before summer temperatures cause me to break out in a sweat at the mere prospect of turning on my oven, I decided it would be the perfect reward to end a long day of drafting papers.

I made just a few minor adjustments, like cooking the onions for longer and adding a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end to deglaze the pan. Served with a big green salad, this was simply satisfying. And while my pie did NOT look like the picture in Nigella's book, the pale mauve of the onions was quite pretty. M. and I speculated that the pie might work with different combinations, too, like leeks and blue cheese. Yum!


Supper Onion Pie
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess

Filling/topping:
4 med. red onions
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3-4 sprigs of thyme, de-stalked
5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about a heaping 1/2 c.)

Scone dough:
1 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 scant tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
scant 1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 scant tsp. dry English mustard
1 large egg, beaten
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (*optional; I liked the depth of flavor this gave the onions)

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel the onions, halve them, then cut each half into 4 segments. (*I then separated each segment so that the onions would cook evenly.)


2. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet, then add the onions and cook over med. heat, stirring regularly, for about 45 mins. (*my adjustment; Nigella suggested 30 but I wanted the onions softer). (*Add the vinegar at the end, scraping the pan to get all the yummy browned bits.) Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add thyme.


3. Turn the onions into a 9-in. pie dish and scatter 2 oz. of cheese on top. Let sit while you make the scone dough.

4. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add remaining cheese. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, butter, mustard, and egg well, then pour into the flour mixture. Mix to a dough using a fork or a wooden spoon; it should be quite sticky.

5. Tip onto a (*lightly floured) work surface and pat it out into a circle roughly the size of the pie dish. Place it on top of the onions, pressing it down lightly and making sure all the edges touch the dish, to seal it.

6. Bake at 400F for 15 mins., then turn oven down to 350F and give it another 10 mins. (*mine needed about 15), by which time dough should be golden and crisp on top. Let stand for a few minutes, then cover with a large plate and flip over, releasing the pie.