Caramelised Shallot Thyme And Goats Cheese Tarte Tatin Recipes

SHALLOT TARTE TATIN WITH GOAT'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the shallots into a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 10 mins, then drain and peel.
• Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the shallots and fry gently for 10-15 mins until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the vinegar and sugar with leaves from 2 thyme sprigs for a few mins until caramelised. Turn off heat and season.
• Tear remaining thyme sprigs into a few pieces and scatter over the base of a 22cm ovenproof shallow pan, cake or tart tin without a loose base. Tip in the shallots with all their sticky juices. Roll out the pastry until it's big enough to cut out a roughly 26cm circle. Lift the pastry circle onto the shallots, then tuck the edges down the inside of the pan. Bake for 25-30 mins until pastry is golden.
• Leave tart for 5 mins to settle, then turn out of the tin. Dot with rounds of goat's cheese and slice into wedges.

CARAMELISED SHALLOT, THYME AND GOATS CHEESE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200° Celsius (400° Fahrenheit). Peel the shallots, and then top and tail them and set aside. Heat an 25cm (10'') ovenproof frypan over medium heat. Add the butter and sugar and stir till butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Add the thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Place the shallots in the pan tail side down, packing them in until they completely cover the base of the frypan and turn the heat down to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes until the shallots are soft. Pour in the balsamic vinegar, swirl the pan to distribute and continue to simmer for 2 minutes an remove from the heat. Cut a circle of pastry a little larger than the pan and cover the shallots with the pastry, ensuring the you tuck the edges in around the shallots (this will help to hold all the juices in when you turn out the tart). Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly and then gently turn the tarte tatin by placing your serving dish over the top of the pastry and gently inverting. Top with crumbled goats cheese and fresh thyme sprigs.

SHALLOT TARTE TATIN WITH WHIPPED GOATS' CHEESE AND WATERCRESS

Steps:

• Season the shallots lightly with salt and white pepper. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil and the butter and cook until foaming. Add the shallots and cook until caramelised.
• Drain off the butter and return the shallots to the heat. Add the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Add the Madeira and cook until it too has evaporated.
• Add a little chicken stock, reduce to a simmer and place some parchment on top. Gently cook until the shallots are getting a little soft. Remove from the heat and leave to rest and suck up all the flavours.
• For the balsamic caramel, put the sugar in a saucepan. Add a little water and stir so it's like a paste. Slowly bring to the boil (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot. Handle very carefully.). The liquid will boil clear and very slowly it will start to turn amber.
• When the sugar syrup is golden, remove from the heat and at arm's length add the balsamic. Leave for a few moments, then whisk in the butter until the sauce has a butterscotch consistency. Season with salt and pepper and taste; it may take a little more balsamic to cut the sweetness and a little more seasoning. Set aside.
• For the whipped goats' cheese, put the cheese in a food processor with the paddle attachment and turn the processor on to slow. Add a little cream just to lighten the consistency (you may not need it all). Add a little lemon juice to taste (reserve the zest for garnish). Spoon into a bowl and cover with cling film, then set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Spoon the caramel into four blini pans to lightly cover the bottom of each pan. Add some thyme to each pan, then add the shallots.
• Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick and cut out four circles just larger than the blini pans. Place the pastry over the shallots and, using the end of a spoon, push it into them all the way around. Make a small hole in the middle. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Leave the tarts for 10 minutes to soak up all that wonderful flavour. While they are still warm, turn them out onto a plate and serve with a spoon of the goats' cheese in the middle of each tart. Top with watercress, a little olive oil, the lemon zest and chives.

SHALLOT TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Put the shallots in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 5 mins, then drain and peel. Cut the shallots in half (some will naturally break into two sections).
• Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, add the shallots and fry gently for 10 mins, until they are softened and lightly browned. Stir in the vinegar, thyme and 1 tbsp water, then cook for a further 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and tip into a non-stick shallow cake or pie tin, about 20cm across. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut the pastry into two. Roll out each piece to about 5cm larger than the top of the cake tin. Put one piece of pastry over the shallots. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and cover with the second piece. Trim the edges of the pastry to a little larger than the tin, then tuck the edges of the pastry down the sides of the tin.
• Bake for 25-30 mins, until pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool in tin for 5 mins, turn out onto a flat plate, cut into wedges and serve warm.

SHALLOT TATINS WITH GOAT'S CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 90C/conventional 110C/gas ¼. Halve the plum tomatoes lengthways and place, cut-side up, in a small shallow roasting tin. Trickle over 2-3 tablespoons of the oil, then scatter with the thyme leaves and some seasoning. Roast for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes soften a little, but still hold a good shape. Remove and cool, spooning over some of the roasting juices.
• While the tomatoes are roasting, blanch the shallots in boiling water for half a minute or so, then drain and cool under cold running water. Peel off the skins and trim the root ends. Also peel off any tough inner skins and cut any larger shallots in half so they are all roughly the same size.
• Heat all but 1 tbsp of the remaining oil in a large frying pan and toss in the shallots, stirring to coat in the oil. Sauté over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until they become tender and begin to turn mid-golden in colour. Add the rosemary, season and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Sprinkle the sugar and 2 tbsp water into a smaller frying pan and leave to stand for about 3 minutes. Put the pan over a low heat, shaking occasionally to mix the melting sugar and stirring gently. When all the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and cook to mid-golden brown.
• Remove from the heat and mix in first the butter and then the vinegar. Take care as this might spit a bit - you should be left with a nice syrup. Toss in the shallots and tomatoes and stir lightly to coat.
• Now stand eight 150ml ramekins on a metal baking sheet. Drain the shallots and tomatoes in a colander, saving the syrup, then divide them between the ramekins and set aside to cool.
• Cut the pastry into 4 oblong pieces on a lightly floured board. Roll out each one very thinly, then cut out two 9-10cm discs from each piece (the discs should be about 1cm larger than the diameter of the ramekins). Pick each piece up and press the edges gently between your fingertips to make the pastry thinner. Do not prick. Lay a pastry disc on top of each ramekin, then tuck the edges of the pastry down inside, between the tomatoes and shallots and the sides of the dishes, using the handle of a teaspoon to help. Press down lightly. (The tarts can now be chilled for up to 24 hours until ready to bake.)
• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until the pastry tops are crisp and mid-brown. Remove and cool for 5 minutes (the sugar will be very hot otherwise). Meanwhile, gently reheat the reserved syrup from the tomatoes and shallots with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Loosen the pastry edges with a small knife and carefully upend each ramekin on to a small plate. Cut the goat's cheese into 8 thin slices (discarding the rind ends), dipping your knife into a cup of hot water in between each slice. Put one slice on top of each tatin, drizzle over the warm syrup and garnish with little basil leaves. Serve warm.

SHALLOT TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Peel shallots and trim them so they are all the same length. This is vital as it ensures they all cook in the same time.
• Add the sugar to a baking tin about 9" in diameter (or a tarte tatin tin if you have one. Heat on the hob until the sugar melts and caramelises (looks nut brown). DO NOT STIR the sugar, just shake the tin to make sure that it all melts evenly.
• Carefully add the shallots (caramel can cause very nasty burns).
• Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the shallots.
• Roll out the pastry and cut a rough circle just larger than the size of tin you are using. Lay it over the shallots and tuck in around the sides.
• Add to a preheated 200 degrees C oven for around 25 minutes or until the pastry looks done.
• Enjoy!