Looking Through Onion Glass

My thoughts of steak must have really knocked something loose, because this morning I needed to work onions.  I had thoughts of cheesesteaks and pico de gallo bouncing about my brain and so onions it was.  I borrowed the idea of our ribbons and crisps and applied it to onions.  I was looking for the rich caramelized flavor of an onion in a wafer thin and translucent crisp.  The moisture content of the onion forced us to cook the base mixture longer as well as dry the glass out in the oven for an extended period of time.  Besides these small setbacks, the onion glass worked out terrifically and is tasty to boot.

Onion Glass

500g thinly sliced sweet onion
130g glucose
60g water
40g light agave syrup
8g salt

Cook all the ingredients together until the onions are translucent and the liquids are reduced by half.  (As you cook the onions, water will be extruded which then needs to cook down for the glass to work)  Once the onion mixture is cooked, puree it in a blender until it is silky smooth.  Pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.  Allow the base mixture to cool, then spread thinly on a silpat using a template.  Dry the onion mixture in a 200 degree F oven for one hour.  Carefully remove the warm onion glass from the silpat and allow the to cool on a clean flat countertop.  Store in an airtight container or use immediately.