Red Onion Tart Recipes

RED ONION, FETA & OLIVE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then gently fry the onions for about 10 mins until golden and soft. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, then cook for a further 5 mins until the juices are reduced and syrupy. Leave to cool.
• Unroll the puff pastry onto a baking tray. Score a line a finger-width in from the edge all the way around, then cover the middle with the onion mix. Scatter the feta and olives over. Season and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the topping.
• Bake for 15 mins or until the pastry is risen and golden and the base is crisp. Cut into wedges and serve with a green salad.

CARAMELISED BALSAMIC AND RED ONION TARTS WITH GOATS' CHEESE

Steps:

• First make up the pastry by rubbing the butter lightly on to the flour, then adding the cheese, mustard and cayenne plus just enough cold water to make a smooth dough. Then place the dough in a polythene bag to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After that, roll it out as thinly as possible and use a 5 inch (13 cm) cutter, or a saucer or something similar, to stamp out 8 rounds. Line the greased tins with them, then bake in the oven, centre shelf, for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through but not coloured. Then cool the pastry cases on a wire rack and store them in an airtight tin until they are needed. To make the filling, melt the butter in a heavy-based, medium-sized saucepan, stir in the onions, balsamic vinegar and chopped sage, season and let everything cook very gently without a lid, stirring often, for about 30 minutes until they have reduced down and taken on a lovely glazed appearance and all the excess liquid has evaporated away. You can also watch how to chop onions in our Cookery School Video on this page. Then let the mixture cool until you are ready to make the tarts. To bake them, brush a little beaten egg on to each pastry case, pop them back into the oven, same temperature as above, for 5 minutes - this helps to provide a seal for the pastry and helps it from becoming soggy. Now spoon the onion mixture into the cases. Top each one with a slice of goats' cheese and a sage leaf that has first been dipped into olive oil. Finally sprinkle with a little cayenne and bake for 20 minutes.

RED ONION TART

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over 1/2 cup of warm water in a large bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Beat in 1 egg and butter. Gently stir in the flour, salt, and lemon zest until the dough has pulled together. Gather the dough into a ball, then place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn dough ball to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Punch down the dough, and place in a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Spread dough out from the center using fingers. The dough should be thinner in the center and thicker at the edges. Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle chilled tart shell with Gouda and Parmesan cheeses. Arrange the cooked onion and piquillo peppers decoratively over the cheese. Beat 2 eggs and heavy cream with the mustard in a bowl; pour egg mixture over the onion and cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the custard has set, 30 to 45 minutes.

RED ONION, GOAT CHEESE AND BASIL TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil heavy large baking sheet. Toss onion wedges with oil in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange onions in single layer on baking sheet. Bake until bottoms of onions are golden and onions are very tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead . Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 14x11-inch rectangle. Trim edges to even. Cut 1/2-inch strip from each side of pastry, forming 13x10-inch rectangle; reserve strips. Transfer pastry rectangle to another heavy large baking sheet. Brush edges with some of beaten egg; reserve remaining egg. Place strips on edges of tart, creating border. Trim strips; press gently to adhere. Pierce bottom of pastry several times with fork. Bake until edges puff and pastry is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack. Using metal spatula, loosen pastry from baking sheet. Cool completely on sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Stir cheese, pesto, cream and 2 tablespoons basil in medium bowl until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in remaining beaten egg. Spread cheese mixture evenly over bottom of crust. Remove peel and stem end from roasted onions. Fan wedges, golden brown side up, over cheese mixture.
• Bake tart until crust is brown and cheese appears set, about 20 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to rack and cool tart to room temperature.
• Sprinkle tart with remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Cut into squares.

RED CABBAGE AND ONION TARTS

Steps:

• Combine flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon thyme in a food processor. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 minutes. With the motor running, slowly pour in ice water until mixture holds together when squeezed. Wrap in plastic, and press into a flat disk. Chill until firm.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until soft. Add cabbage; reduce heat. Add 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons thyme, vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover; cook 10 minutes. Uncover, turn heat up, and cook until liquid is gone.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Quarter dough, and roll into 5-inch circles. Fit into 4-inch flan rings. Add filling, and scatter cheese on top. Fold over pastry edges. Chill until firm. Bake 15 to 20 minutes; serve hot.

CARAMELISED RED ONION & PINE NUT TART

Steps:

• Lightly brush a 19cm slab pan with a little of the olive oil.
• Preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium to high heat.
• Add the onions and cook stirring for 10 minutes or until soft.
• Add the vinegar and sugar and stir to combine.
• Cook stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes or until the liquid evaporates, and onions caramelise.
• Set aside to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the eggs, cream and the salt.
• Place the phyllo pastry on a clean surface, and-working very quickly- brush each sheet with a little olive oil and fold in half crossways.
• Place phyllo crossways in pan to line base and 2 opposite sides.
• Repeat with the remaining 3 sheets until all of the base and sides are covered.
• Spread onions over pastry, then the cream mixture, then sprinkle with the nuts.
• Bake the tart, covered with foil in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes or until set.
• Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before cutting into 4 pieces to serve.
• Serve with a salad of green leaves.

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.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND ROASTED RED PEPPER TART

Steps:

• Dough:.
• Dissolve yeast and honey in warm water in a large bowl; let stand for 5 minutes.
• Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Stir 1 cup bread flour and 1 tablespoon oil into yeast mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°F), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until bubbly.
• Stir in 1/2 cup bread flour, whole wheat flour, and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); dough will feel tacky. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into the dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 10 minutes.
• Topping:.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt, thyme sprigs, garlic, and bay leaves; cook for 15 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
• Preheat broiler.
• While onion is cooking, cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes. Place the pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 15 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Roll the dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Place the dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Top with the onion mixture and the chopped bell pepper. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Cool slightly. Sprinkle with chopped thyme. Cut into 8 squares, and cut each square in half diagonally. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

CAULIFLOWER, RED ONION, AND CHESTNUT TART

Steps:

• Make the tart: Roll out pastry dough to a 6-by-16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 4-by-13-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges flush with top. Prick bottom of tart all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line crust with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is set and edges are just starting to turn golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and remove pie weights and parchment. Bake until bottom of tart shell is pale gold, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook onions for 2 minutes. Transfer to ice-water bath. Drain. Peel onions, and cut each in half. Meanwhile, steam cauliflower in a basket insert set over a pan of simmering water until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Let cool.
• Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring, until browned, about 12 minutes.
• Make the bechamel: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, and cook, whisking, until mixture is thick and just starts to boil. Add 1/4 cup blue cheese, the thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt, and whisk until cheese melts. Stir in cauliflower, half the onions, and half the chestnuts.
• Spread cauliflower mixture onto tart shell. Scatter remaining onions and chestnuts over filling, and dot top with remaining 1/4 cup blue cheese. Bake tart on a baking sheet until filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

COURGETTE & CARAMELISED RED ONION TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to slightly smaller than an A4 rectangle. Slide onto a baking tray, brush with the beaten egg and cook for 20 mins or until golden.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once foaming, add the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, for 10 mins until soft. Pour in the balsamic and cook for a further 6-8 mins until sticky and caramelised.
• Spoon over the pastry, then top with the courgette ribbons and blobs of goat's cheese. Return to the oven for 15 mins until the cheese is bubbling. Serve with salad.