Shallots
Shallots
Shallots are an indispensable ingredient for gourmet cooking. They have a subtle, mild onion flavor that does not overpower a dish. The most common type of shallots in the US have a purple-pink hue. Shallots in the onion family often have a small, elongated body. Fresh shallots that are Sautéed or dried shallots add a lot to a recipe. A small quantity of flavor-enhancing seasonings combined with the shallots can dramatically improve a recipe.
Characteristics of shallots
Small
Mild flavor
Adds background flavor nuances
Excellent for sauces and marinades
Uses of shallots in French Sauces
Beurre blanc (translated as white butter) is a white butter sauce made with three main ingredients: butter, vinegar and or wine, and shallots.
Sauce Ravigote (Shallot and Herb Sauce) uses white wine vinegar and white wine reduction along with Ordinary Velouté (white stock). The sauce is then finished with shallot butter and some herbs.
Tips for Using Shallots in Recipes
Shallots go well with carrots sautéed in butter.
Substitute shallots for onions in soups for a milder, more subtle flavor.
Shallots complement garlic and many herbs.
Dried shallots are excellent and convenient for soups, sauces, and marinades.
Dried Shallots
Combining Shallots and Seasonings to Boost Flavor
Shallots are a subtly flavorful ingredient that broadens the flavor of many dishes. Because of their universality, you can pair shallots with a well-matched seasoning for a given dish type, further increasing the depth of flavor. Using shallots in combination with the best-paired seasonings creates an interaction of subtle and pleasing flavors.
A few flavor-enhancing seasonings to consider along with shallots in your recipes are:
Aromat - Universal seasoning and dry seasoning are suitable for egg and chicken recipes with combined shallots.
Maggi - liquid seasoning, is suitable for beef and pork recipes with combined shallots.
San-J tamari splash umami, liquid seasoning, is suitable for vegetable and mushroom recipes with combined shallots.
Anchovies oil - liquid is suitable for tomato-based recipes with combined shallots.
Worcestershire sauce - is suitable for soups with shallots in combination.
