Shallot

One of the smallest varieties of the onion family. It has a pear-shaped bulb that separates into bulblets (or cloves). The shallot has a purplish white flesh which has a mild flavor that is a cross between a sweet onion and garlic. Since the mild flavor will not overpower other ingredients, it is commonly used to flavor meats, stews, soups, and sauces. When used raw for salads and vinaigrettes, it provides a subtle yet distinct flavor with only a slight amount of heat, not equaled by an onion. The onion presence is more noticeable and requires a greater amount of cooking time to mellow the intensity of the flavor.

When preparing, grating a shallot instead of mincing or finely dicing allows a greater amount of the essence to be released into the food while requiring only half of the amount of minced shallot required for a recipe. Shallots are available throughout the year. To select, choose those that have well formed heads and avoid those that have started to sprout. When storing, shallots can be kept for up to a month in a cool dry area.