Meatless Monday - Onion Tart

Monday, December 21, 2009

This is a recipe from the awesome book, Vegetarian Classics. In all honesty, I can't tell you how it tastes just yet, because I made it to travel... I want to be able to pack it up and eat it later. I'll post a follow up on how that works out (!). I can tell you that it was relatively easy and the finished product *smelled* fabulous!!

Notes: I used my mandolin* to make my slices, and they didn't turn out as thin as I would've liked. Next time I'll try using my fantastic KitchenAid food processor with its slicing attachment.

*Not the musical instrument. Duh.

Now for some pics:

Onions before:

Onions after:

Everything about the cooking seemed to take a lot longer than described in the recipe. And, by a lot, I mean double to triple the amount of time. This could be a variety of factors (accuracy of my stovetop and oven temps being just one). Make sure the onions look caramelized when cooking on the stovetop, and be sure to do the "done" test that is described before you pull the tart out of the oven.

Onions mixed with the cheese (m'm, cheese!):

The finished product:

Looks and smells PHENOMENAL!! Here's the recipe:

Caramelized Onion Tart

1 sheet (half of a 17 ounce package) frozen puff pastry
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (9 cups sliced)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

1.) Remove the puff pastry from the package and let thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until no longer frozen but still cool.

2.) To make the filling: heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and partially cover the pot. Cook, stirring often, for 40 minutes, or until the onions are a deep caramel color and very soft. Turn down the heat a little once the onions begin to soften so they can cook slowly, and scrape the bottom of the pot as necessary. When done, the onions will be evenly brown and almost jamlike. Let cool. (The onions can be prepared and refrigerated up to 48 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature before placing in the filling.)

3.) Lightly butter a dark-colored 9-inch tart pan with a removable rim or glass pie plate. On a lightly floured surface roll the puff pastry into an 11-inch square. Fit it into the tart pan or pie plate. Use scissors to trim off the overhanging pieces of pastry. Refrigerate the crust 15 minutes or cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours.

4.) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

5.) Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Beat in the cream, cayenne, and salt. Stir in the cheese and onions.

6.) Spoon the mixture into the tart pan or pie plate. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until the custard is set and the crust is deeply golden. If your pie plate is glass, you can peek at the bottom of the crust to make sure it is cooked in the center.** When the tart is done, remove the outer ring if you used a tart pan with a removable rim. Cool the tart on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes before serving because it should be served warm, not hot.

** I used the "clean knife" test to check if the tart was done. This is where you insert a clean knife into the center of the tart and if it comes out clean (clear and shiny moist is ok) it is done. If there is any eggish residue means it needs to stay in the oven a bit longer.