French Onion Tart With Cheesy Thyme Pastry Recipes

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!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Roll out pastry to a 12 by 16-inch rectangle, 1/8-inch thick and transfer to a baking sheet. Brush edges of pastry with water and fold over to form a border 1-inch wide. Score border with tines of a fork and thoroughly prick center. Meanwhile, in a skillet cook onions over low heat in 2 tablespoons olive oil until golden and softened. Stir in garlic and basil. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Sprinkle bottom of tart with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and spread onion mixture over. Sprinkle onions with 2 more tablespoons cheese. Top with tomato slices and brush them with olive oil. Decorate tart with anchovies and olives. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden and crisp. Sprinkle warm tart with 2 more tablespoons cheese and chopped herbs. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.;

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a deep 23cm fluted flan tin. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 15 mins.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, then gently fry the onions, covered, for about 30 mins until completely softened, but still pale in colour.
• Beat the eggs and cream together in a bowl, then add the cheese and some seasoning. Stir in the onions, then spoon the mixture into the flan case. Bake for 25-30 mins until lightly set and browned.

Steps:

• The night before making the tart, wrap the butter for the pastry in foil, and freeze until solid - this will make it easier to grate. To make the pastry, put the flour in a large bowl and mix in half the polenta, the cheese, thyme (reserving a few leaves to serve) and a good pinch of salt. Using a coarse cheese grater, grate in the frozen butter - try to handle it as little as possible so it doesn't get soft - and stir it in with a knife as you go. Give the mixture one last stir to make sure all the butter is coated with flour, then quickly stir in 125ml very cold water. Gently bring together with your hands (splashing in a little more water if it looks dry), then wrap in baking parchmentand chill for 30 mins.
• Slice the tomatoes to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin (use a mandoline, if you have one). Reserve about half of the tomato slices for the top of the tart, then roughly chop the rest into chunks.
• Heat the grill to high (or you can use the flame of a gas hob). Pierce the aubergine four or five times with the tip of a knife and grill (or hold over the gas flame using tongs), turning often, for 8-10 mins, or until the skin is charred and the aubergine is soft and collapsing. Leave to cool a little.
• Heat half the oil in a pan over a low-medium heat, and cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 10 mins until the onions start to caramelise. Meanwhile, scrape the skin off the aubergine (don't worry if some pieces cling to the flesh - it will add a smoky flavour). Roughly chop the aubergine flesh.
• Add the garlic and aubergine to the onions and cook for another 5 mins, or until any liquid released from the aubergine has evaporated. Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, season, and continue to cook for 5-10 mins until thickened. Leave to cool, then chill until ready to use. Can be prepared up to a day ahead.
• Slice the courgettes to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin. Put in a bowl and toss with a good pinch of salt. Leave for 10 mins.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 with a baking tray inside (or a 30cm shallow skillet pan, if you have one). Roll the pastry out on a large sheet of baking parchment dusted with a little flour, to a circle about 35cm wide. Trim the edge if you want a neat finish.
• Drain any liquid from the courgettes, then tip onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Pat dry to remove as much moisture as you can. Sprinkle the remaining polenta over the pastry, then top with the chilled tomato and aubergine mix. Spread it out using the back of a spoon, leaving a 3cm border around the edge.
• Arrange the reserved tomato slices and the courgettes in overlapping concentric circles on top of the tart. Brush the vegetables with the remaining oil, season and sprinkle with the parmesan. Fold the pastry edge over the veg slightly, pressing gently to seal. Brush the pastry edge with the beaten yolk.
• Carefully slide the tart, still on the baking parchment, onto the hot tray or into the skillet pan. Bake for 45 mins until golden, then scatter with the extra thyme leaves, if using. Leave to cool a little and serve just warm, or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Start by cooking the onions. They need to be cooked slowly on low heat, so it's best to begin with those.
• Melt the butter in a large nonstick frying pan-we have a load of onions to cook. When the butter has melted, pick off the thyme leaves and add, then add the garlic and onions. Mix everything together.
• Now add the pepper, salt, and sugar and mix. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have onions that look like the kind you would only eat with a burger in a Sunday market at 6 a.m.!
• While that cooks, start on the pastry. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper or use the paper the pastry comes in and roll out the pastry onto the sheet.
• Using a knife, score a smaller rectangle ½ inch/1cm inside the pastry rectangle, making sure not to cut all the way through. Pierce the inner rectangle with a fork all over to allow the steam to escape when it bakes.
• Brush the edges with the egg and bake for 20 minutes, until golden all over.
• Take out and, using the back of a spoon, push down all the puffed-up pastry of the inner rectangle, creating a nice neat border.
• Take the blue cheese and crumble all over the inner rectangle of the pastry. Add the onions and scatter them all over till you have an even layer. Now bake for 15 minutes.
• Take out and let cool for 10 minutes before eating, sprinkled with the chives.