Honig-Zwiebeln (honey caramelised onions)

Method

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-based 2 litre pot over low heat. Add the onion and salt and stir to coat.
2. 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.
3. Stir in the honey, balsamic vinegar and thyme, if using. Cook for 5 more minutes, stirring, until glossy and slightly thickened.
4. Season with pepper, taste, and adjust the vinegar if it needs more edge to balance the sweetness.
5. 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.

1. Onion into the dry bowl, in rough pieces. Chop 3 sec / speed 4, no finer; you want visible slices, not a purée.
2. 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.
3. Add the honey, balsamic vinegar and thyme. Cook 5 min / 100 °C / reverse / speed 1, measuring cup off, until glossy.
4. 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.