Frankischer Zwiebelplootz Franconian Onion Tart Recipes

FRENCH ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a work surface, roll the puff pastry into a roughly 10 by 16-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, trim uneven edges to make a perfect rectangle. Evenly cut off the outer 1 inch of each side of the rectangle in strips; put the puff sheet on the baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and run around the top edges of the rectangle and replace the removed strips of pastry along the edges of the sheet, pressing lightly to adhere. With a fork, pierce the interior of the tart shell to prevent rising; do not pierce the adhered edges. Bake until the outer edges have puffed and are golden in color; about 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and thyme sprigs and season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown. Add the stock, a tablespoon at a time, as the pan gets dry, scraping and stirring the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom oft the pan. When the onions are caramelized to a dark golden color, remove from the heat and discard the leafless thyme sprigs (the leaves fall off while cooking).
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Evenly spread the caramelized onions on the cooked pastry shell and heat in the oven until warmed through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven, to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Arrange on a serving platter and garnish each wedge with a sprig of fresh thyme. Serve immediately and enjoy!

FRANKISCHER ZWIEBELPLOOTZ (FRANCONIAN ONION TART)

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm milk in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Sift flour into large bowl, add yeast mixture, melted butter, remaining milk, egg, and salt. Stir well to combine until dough has pulled together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Place dough in a large bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Place bacon pieces in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion and saute on low heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool slightly.
• Mix bacon-onion mixture with sour cream and season with a little salt and pepper (be careful not to over-salt, as bacon is already salty).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 10- or 12-inch springform pan.
• Roll dough on lightly floured surface to fit springform pan and cover pan. Fill with bacon-onion mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven until dough is set and filling is slightly browned, about 30 minutes.

ZWIEBELKUCHEN (SAVORY BACON-AND-ONION TART)

Steps:

• Place milk and 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, and heat until butter has melted. Remove pan from heat, and let mixture cool until tepid.
• Place milk mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low speed, add the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, egg yolks, and yeast. Gradually add 3 cups flour, creating a dough that is soft but not sticky.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until it is smooth and elastic and springs back when you poke it with your finger, about 5 minutes. Place in a large buttered bowl, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet with parchment. Punch dough down, and roll out to a 1/4-inch thickness. Place on prepared baking sheet, and cover with buttered plastic wrap; let rise until dough doesn't spring back when you poke it with your finger, about 20 minutes.
• Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon, and cook until golden and crisp and most of fat has been rendered, about 6 minutes. Add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons flour over onions, and stir in. In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and the egg, and stir into the onion mixture. Cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat, and season with salt.
• Spread mixture on top of dough, and let rise 15 minutes more. Sprinkle top with caraway seeds. Bake until edges are crisp and brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and serve. Bread will keep, wrapped and unrefrigerated, up to 4 days.

VIDALIA ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
• In a large heavy skillet, saute butter and diced Vidalia onion. Cook until lightly caramelized. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream. Slowly whisk in evaporated milk. Whisk in dry soup mix until completely incorporated. Whisk in eggs. Mix in the shredded cheese until blended. Spoon mixture into an unbaked pastry. Place pie on a cookie sheet and place into oven.
• Bake in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes; or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes.

ONION TART

Steps:

• Blend flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter butter over flour, top with lid and pulse 12 pulses to cut butter into flour to a coarse meal consistency.
• Dump butter-flour mixture into a medium stainless bowl. Make a well in the center and pour ice-cold water into the well.
• Using a flexible plastic dough scraper instead of your warm hands, bring the dough together by folding and pressing. Be firm and brisk and get the dough past its shaggy stage into a neat disk, trying to avoid using your hands or too much kneading. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Meanwhile, cut the onions in half and peel them. Slice the halves with the ribs (root end to sprout end direction), not against, to create julienne slices rather than half moons.
• In a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the bacon fat and slowly sweat the onions until they are caramelized. Take all the minutes you need - 25 or so - to let them soften to translucent, then to let the water they release start to evaporate, then to allow the sugars they contain to start to brown in the pan, so that you end up with soft, sweet and evenly browned onions. This is achieved by a slow caramelization. Set onions aside to cool.
• Roll tart dough out to a 1/4-inch-thick round, and drape over a round 10-inch fluted false-bottom tart pan. Lay dough into the pan, gently pressing into the bottom, and roll the pin across the pan to cut off the excess dough. Use your fingers to press the edges into the flutes, accentuating the shape of the dough edge. Dock the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork, weight the pastry with beans or weight and blind-bake for 25 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat the egg with the cream. Stir in the caramelized onions. Season with pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Stir well, and make sure the onions are all evenly coated with the custard.
• Remove tart shell from oven, and slip it onto a baking sheet. Remove weights, fill with the onion-custard mixture and distribute it evenly. Return tart to oven on the sheet, and bake for 25 minutes, or until custard has set, the tops of the onions start to achieve a deeper brown and the dough is dark golden brown at the edges.
• Remove from the ring, and allow to cool just a few minutes on the rack, so that the piping hot tart shell can kind of tighten up enough to be sliced with a sharp chef's knife. (In the first few minutes straight out of the oven, the dough is kind of soft from the heat, possibly giving you the false impression that you have a soggy tart. Let it sit on the rack just to shake off this initial soft stage and to recrisp and refirm, which it will.) Cut into wedges, and serve while hot.

ZWIEBELKUCHEN (GERMAN HAM AND ONION TART)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add ham and onions; cook on medium-low heat 12 to 14 min. or until onions are tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat.
• Unfold pastry sheet; cut into 12 squares. Press 1 square onto bottom and up side of each of 12 muffin pan cups sprayed with cooking spray.
• Whisk eggs, sour cream and nutmeg in medium bowl until blended. Add onion mixture; mix well. Spoon into pastry cups; top with Swiss pieces. Sprinkle with chives.
• Bake 12 to 14 min. or until filling is set in centers, and edges of pastry cups are golden brown. Transfer tarts from muffin pan to wire racks; cool slightly.