Honig-Zwiebeln (honey caramelised onions)
Onions cooked low and slow until they turn jammy and deep amber on their own, finished with honey and a splash of vinegar rather than sugar, so the sweetness stays balanced rather than sticky. This is a condiment, meant for cheese boards, sausages and roasted meat, not a dish on its own.
Prep10 min
Cook50 min
Servings6
Christoph's honey-finished caramelised onions, written as a cheese board and sausage condiment rather than a cooking base.
Ingredients
Written for a 2 L pot
Units
Temperature
Servings
Onions
- 30 g butter rounded
- 700 g onion, thinly sliced rounded
- 2 g fine salt rounded
- 40 g honey rounded
- 20 ml balsamic vinegar rounded
- 3 g fresh thyme, leaves (optional) rounded
- to taste freshly ground black pepper rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Melt the butter in a heavy-based 2 litre pot over low heat. Add the onion and salt and stir to coat.
- Cook over low heat, stirring every few minutes, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the onions have collapsed to a soft, deep amber jam with no raw white left. Resist the urge to raise the heat; this is a slow process and rushing it burns the edges while the centre stays sharp.
- Stir in the honey, balsamic vinegar and thyme, if using. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened.
- Season with pepper, taste, and adjust the vinegar if it needs more edge to balance the sweetness.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, alongside cheese, sausages or roasted meat.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl.
- Onion into the dry bowl, in rough pieces. Chop 3 sec / speed 4, no finer; you want visible slices, not a purée.
- Add the butter and salt. Cook 45 min / 100 °C / reverse / speed 1, measuring cup off so moisture escapes, scraping down once or twice if needed.
- Add the honey, balsamic vinegar and thyme. Cook 5 min / 100 °C / reverse / speed 1, measuring cup off, until glossy.
- Season with pepper. Mix 5 sec / reverse / speed 1. Taste and adjust the vinegar to balance the sweetness.
Notes
- Low heat the whole way through is the entire technique. There is no shortcut that gets true caramelisation; onions rushed at high heat just brown and steam rather than turning sweet and jammy.
- Salt at the start draws moisture out of the onions, which is part of what lets them soften evenly rather than catching before they collapse.
- The vinegar is what keeps this a condiment rather than candy. Without it, the honey reads as flat, cloying sweetness; with it, the two balance each other.
- It keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge, in a sealed jar, and the flavour deepens over the first few days.
Ingredient substitutions
- Balsamic vinegar can be red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for a sharper, less sweet result.
- Honey can be brown sugar in the same quantity, though the flavour is flatter and less rounded.
- Thyme can be a small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped, for a more resinous note.
- A splash of red wine, added with the vinegar, is a good addition for a version meant to sit alongside a cheese board with wine.
From Christoph Mayer