Caramelized Onions Complement Lamb, Beef

For 20 years, I had the same bottle of grenadine syrup sitting on the shelf. Then, last winter, I discovered a fantastic recipe for caramelized onions that uses healthy doses of the sweetened pomegranate syrup, compared to the few drops needed to flavor drinks.

Now, not only have I finished the original bottle, I’ve gone through two more! Here’s how it happened:

My husband and I were planning to visit my father in Troy, N.Y., when my cousin, who weekends about 40 minutes away from there, called and suggested we meet for dinner at a “fantastic new restaurant” on a sheep farm in his area.

He went on to tempt me by extolling the virtues of the young chef, Melissa Kelly, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. My cousin said she was so brilliantly creative in her use of local produce that he and his wife have a table permanently reserved each Saturday night.

I regretfully declined, saying that the trip would be too much for my father.

“Take the number, just in case,” insisted my charmingly persuasive cousin. So I did, knowing that, out of a sense of filial duty, I would discard it immediately afterward (much to my subsequent regret).

After lunching at my father’s locally convenient fast-food joint and visiting with him for several hours, he announced that he had indigestion from all the greasy fried chicken he had just eaten, was too full to consider an evening meal, and was planning to retire early.

I have to admit that only about two seconds elapsed before my heart (and stomach) leapt in delight at the possibility of now joining my cousins for a delicious dinner and fun evening. The only problem was that I hadn’t the slightest recollection of the restaurant’s name.

Motivated as I was, that minor omission did not daunt me. I knew the general location was Chatham, so I began by calling the local police. They had no idea which restaurant I had in mind (no surprise, because all I could offer as a lead was that the chef was a woman and a graduate of the CIA).

They gave me the number of the local patrol car policeman, but he also hadn’t a clue. He, in turn, gave me the number of what he supposed was one of the best restaurants in the area. And when I called, the owner knew at once that the restaurant I was seeking was located in The Old Chatham Sheepherding Company Inn.

We arrived to find the country inn of our fantasies: a restored Georgian manor in an exquisite rural setting. When we stepped into the cold winter night, we immediately smelled the inviting aroma of a wood fire coming from the inn, mingled with other enticing and cozy cooking smells emanating from the kitchen.

As we sat in the anteroom, waiting to surprise my cousins when they arrived, we congratulated ourselves that my persistence had paid off.

Dinner was, across the board, superb. But most memorable was a side dish of sticky, tangy-sweet, burgundy-colored onions. I knew I had to have this recipe as part of my permanent collection. Fortunately, Chef Kelly was delighted to share it.

I’ve served it since, with great success, as a complement to leg of lamb, roast beef and duck confit. I also suspect it would be a brilliant foil for the intense richness of game or goose.

Burgundy Caramelized Onions

Adapted from Chef Melissa Kelly’s recipe.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

12 ounces yellow onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup grenadine syrup

1/4 cup red wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Heat 12-inch nonreactive skillet over high heat. When hot enough to sizzle a few drops water, add butter. When melted, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes or until translucent.

Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, syrup, wine and vinegar and cook about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Yield: About 1 cup, or 4 to 6 servings.