Instructions: "Once upon a time, one rainy summer day in France, hungry, damp, lost, and tired in a hill town overlooking the stormy Mediterranean, I found a tiny auberge. Just like in the books, the patron welcomed me warmly and led me to a tiny table beside the fire. Before I could even slip out of my damp shoes he reappeared with a glass of red wine, a basket of crisp rolls, and a heavenly dish that he called "daussades." Whatever you call it, it is bliss.

This recipe is as close as I can come to the delicious dish that warmed and restored me on that stormy day. The long, slow cooking of the onions produces a thick, velvety sauce, sweet and a little tart. (The minced ham doesnt hurt either.)

Halve the onions lengthwise and slice thinly. In a 4-quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add onions, swirl them around, cover, and sweat them for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are glazed and golden, about 15 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and boil down for 2-3 minutes to glaze further.

Reduce heat to low, add the wine, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and a beautiful deep brown, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Season with salt, a grinding or two of black pepper, and a tablespoon or so of sherry wine vinegar. Stir in the ham. Serve hot, at room temperature, or warm.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: Daussades is wonderful with crusty bread, on toast and served with drinks, with grilled chicken, or liver, or steak, or, or, or... You may also like to try it with sweet Spanish onions.

This will keep, refrigerated, for 2 or 3 days, so dont wait for a rainy day-make it sometime when you have a few hours, then get it out and warm it up when you need it. It will be a star in your culinary crown; thats a promise.

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