1. Drain the peas from their canning liquid and discard the liquid. Combine the drained peas, sugar, and cold water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 20 minutes, until the peas are very soft and press easily against the side of the pan.
2. Pass the pea mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill, pressing firmly with a spoon or spatula to extract all pulp. Discard solids. Return the puree to the saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat.
3. In a separate small saucepan, make a beurre manie (a paste of equal parts softened butter and flour, worked together until smooth): combine the 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes until the paste turns pale yellow and smells faintly nutty but has not browned. Whisk this mixture gradually into the warm pea puree. Continue stirring over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until the soup coats the back of a spoon and no raw-flour taste remains.
4. In a separate small saucepan, scald the whole milk with the onion slice: heat milk and onion together over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan and steam rises from the surface, approximately 4-6 minutes. Do not boil. Remove and discard the onion slice.
5. Gradually stir the scalded milk into the pea mixture. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine. Simmer gently for a further 3-5 minutes, until the soup is uniformly heated through and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately.
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