Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Submitted by Renée Bolivar of Wayland. As a subscriber, she gets her copy of Edible Boston in the mail.
"I used to beg my mom to make this simple onion pie when I was growing up, and it was always a real treat for me. She has a massive garden in her yard in North Truro, and she grows all her own veggies, even the onions. The Victory Garden was our bible, and I can’t remember a time when we didn’t grow our own food. My mom gave me the gift of gardening—we have spent almost every summer my life digging in the dirt and sand together. You could substitute leeks for the plain onions and Gruyére for the Cheddar to make the pie a bit more fancy, but the Ritz crackers and butter in the crust are essential!"

Serves 4–6

1¼ cups finely crushed Ritz cracker crumbs
⅓ cup melted butter
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 medium onions, sliced
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 325°. Stir together the cracker crumbs and melted butter and press into a glass pie plate, spreading them up the sides to form a crust. Set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in a skillet and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until golden brown. In a saucepan, scald the milk and whisk in the flour and cheese. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking immediately so as not to scramble them, then let the mixture thicken, about 5 minutes, stirring. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the onions and pour into the crust. Bake 40 minutes or until set. Allow to cool before serving.

This story appeared in the Spring 2015 issue.