On Sunday we had a going-away party for Susan, who is off to New York for a month, and then to Italy for a few months. (Once again, an opportunity for me to develop travel envy.)

We did the party potluck-style, with an Italian theme, naturally. I brought two of my favorite crostini recipes adapted from my favorite Italian cookbook,Trattoria Cooking by Biba Gaggiano.

If you're not familiar with crostini, it's an Italian appetizer featuring thin-sliced toasted bread adorned with delicious sauces.

The spicy tomato sauce (Crostini Piccanti) was moderately successful. I apparently overdid the red wine vinegar a bit. I used the recipe from the book unmodified, so I won't reproduce it here.

The sweet-and-sour onions, however, were a smash. As several people have asked for the recipe, I'm posting it here. Please do buy/consult the book if you enjoy this recipe. The only credit due to me is for very minor modifications and executing it well on Sunday.

Crostini alle Cipolle in Agrodolce

1/3 cup pine nuts (pignoli) 1/4 cup olive oil 2 medium white onions 15 fresh sage leaves 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (sherry vinegar makes an interesting substitute) 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp unsalted butter Salt and black pepper to taste 15 thin slices toasted Italian bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast the pine nuts on a cookie sheet until golden, about 6 minutes. Set aside.

2. Thin-slice the onions perpendicular to the vertical axis, to produce thin discs with concentric rings.

3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the butter and onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Approximately 10 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper (I use a pinch of sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper). Add the sage leaves, torn or cut into small pieces. Add the vinegar and sugar.

5. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have a rich golden color. (By now, the individual rings of onion should have separated and collapsed in the skillet, leaving you with a slurry of distorted onion ringlets)

6. Stir in the toasted pine nuts. Taste, adjust seasoning as necessary.

Cool to room temperature and serve over the toasted bread.

Enjoy!

Meg Hourihan tells the tale of her long-awaited visit to The French Laundry.

I can count on one hand the number of truly transforming culinary outings I have had in my life, so it's always a delight to experience more by living vicariously through others.

One of these days, I'll be sure to document one or two of my own for you all.