Cooking Challenge – Onion Tart

By / Food / June 2nd, 2011 / 3

The Tidings Cooking Challenge is an opportunity for food lovers to try their hand at creating something together. Not all in the same kitchen, of course. Rather, try the recipe in your own time and then come back and tell us what you thought of it. You can add your comments directly underneath the post, or send a photo of your creation to [email protected]. Check out what others have done at Quench by Tidings.

This month, I thought we could go French, in honour of St. Jean Baptiste Day falling on June 24th. Perfect for warmer days, savoury tarts can be baked on the barbecue (set over low heat), so you don’t need to fire up the oven and heat up the house! Better still, the tarts taste fantastic with any topping you like. Toss some tomatoes, zucchini and basil together for a Mediterranean feel. Or layer on two or three types of cheese for a hearty (but, very yummy) snack. Even the tart, itself, is perfect for quick and easy prep. You can make the base from scratch, if you’d like. No? No problem. Pick up a package of puff pastry (usually found in the frozen section). Thaw it, roll it, and voilà, you’ve made yourself the perfect base for any of your favourite toppings.

Onion, although shunned by many, can be sweet and refreshing on a hot day. If you like that bite from raw onions, then go ahead and top the puff pastry with uncooked onions (sliced, of course), then pop it into the oven. Otherwise, follow the directions below for a savoury and succulent treat.

Tarte Aux Onions (Onion Tart)

Adapted from French Feasts, Stéphane Reynaud (Stewart, Tabori & Chang).

Serves 6

9 oz ready-made puff pastry

6 yellow onions

1/3 cup pine nuts

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1. Peel and slice the onions, and soften them in olive oil without browning. Add the pine nuts and cumin, then season.

2. Roll out the thawed pastry into a rectangle; prick with a fork. Cover the dough with the caramelized onions and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes.

This tart is perfect with any wine. Seriously. Pour whatever you happen to have in the fridge.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosemary Mantini has always loved words. When she isn't working as the Associate Editor at Tidings Magazine, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams, and sometimes she even relaxes with a good book and a glass of wine.

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