Shallot Tatin Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pour boiling water over the shallots and leave them until the water cools. (This makes it easier to slip the skins off.) Peel and halve the shallots, then set aside. Put the sugar in a 23cm ovenproof frying pan and heat until it dissolves and you have a sticky caramel. Add the butter, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar or cracked black pepper - take care as it will spit.
• Remove the pan from the heat and put all the shallots into the pan, cut-side down. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out a round 2cm larger than the pan. Drape the pastry over the shallots and tuck in the edges, so that it 'hugs' the shallots. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Leave to rest for 1 min, then invert the tart onto a plate. Serve with a punchy salad of rocket and goat's cheese.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pour boiling water over the shallots and leave them until the water cools. (This makes it easier to slip the skins off.) Peel and halve the shallots, then set aside. Put the sugar in a 23cm ovenproof frying pan and heat until it dissolves and you have a sticky caramel. Add the butter, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar or cracked black pepper - take care as it will spit.
• Remove the pan from the heat and put all the shallots into the pan, cut-side down. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry and cut out a round 2cm larger than the pan. Drape the pastry over the shallots and tuck in the edges, so that it 'hugs' the shallots. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins until the pastry is puffed up and golden. Leave to rest for 1 min, then invert the tart onto a plate. Serve with a punchy salad of rocket and goat's cheese.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Toast nuts on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Toss shallots and vegetable oil on same baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned in spots, 20-25 minutes. Let cool. Remove any leathery outer layers.
• Meanwhile, bring vinegar and sugar to a simmer in a small skillet over medium-low, swirling occasionally, until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbsp. butter; remove from heat. Arrange shallots, cut side up, in skillet, overlapping slightly if needed and filling in any gaps.
• Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface just to smooth any creases (if box has 2 sheets of pastry, stack and gently roll out to adhere). Cut out a circle that's about 1" larger than the bottom of the skillet; prick in several places with a fork. Drape pastry over shallots, tucking edges inside skillet. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, 25-30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook mushrooms and garlic, tossing often, until mushrooms are tender and browned, 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Let tart sit until pastry is cooled slightly, 5-10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a plate. Top with burrata, mushrooms, arugula, Parmesan, and nuts. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt.

Steps:

• Put the shallots in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 5 mins, then drain and peel. Cut the shallots in half (some will naturally break into two sections).
• Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, add the shallots and fry gently for 10 mins, until they are softened and lightly browned. Stir in the vinegar, thyme and 1 tbsp water, then cook for a further 5 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and tip into a non-stick shallow cake or pie tin, about 20cm across. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Cut the pastry into two. Roll out each piece to about 5cm larger than the top of the cake tin. Put one piece of pastry over the shallots. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and cover with the second piece. Trim the edges of the pastry to a little larger than the tin, then tuck the edges of the pastry down the sides of the tin.
• Bake for 25-30 mins, until pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool in tin for 5 mins, turn out onto a flat plate, cut into wedges and serve warm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and grease 2 x 15cm sandwich tins with solid bases. In a non-stick pan, gently cook the shallots in the oil until golden and softened. If they start to colour before softening, add a dash of water and cover the pan. Tip out the shallots and wipe out the pan.
• Put the butter in the pan with the nuts, garlic, rosemary, maple syrup and vinegar. Season and allow to bubble until syrupy. Tip in the shallots and cook briefly, stirring to coat them. Spoon half the shallots and syrup into each tin, then add the beetroots, alternating them with the shallots as you go.
• Cut the pastry in half, then roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface until just larger than the tins. Place the pastry over the vegetables and tuck it down the insides of the tin. Trim off any excess with scissors and pierce the middle of the pastry with a knife to make a hole for steam to escape. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden. Cool for a few mins in the tin, then turn out onto plates and top with the rocket.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the shallots into a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 10 mins, then drain and peel.
• Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Add the shallots and fry gently for 10-15 mins until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the vinegar and sugar with leaves from 2 thyme sprigs for a few mins until caramelised. Turn off heat and season.
• Tear remaining thyme sprigs into a few pieces and scatter over the base of a 22cm ovenproof shallow pan, cake or tart tin without a loose base. Tip in the shallots with all their sticky juices. Roll out the pastry until it's big enough to cut out a roughly 26cm circle. Lift the pastry circle onto the shallots, then tuck the edges down the inside of the pan. Bake for 25-30 mins until pastry is golden.
• Leave tart for 5 mins to settle, then turn out of the tin. Dot with rounds of goat's cheese and slice into wedges.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 90C/conventional 110C/gas ¼. Halve the plum tomatoes lengthways and place, cut-side up, in a small shallow roasting tin. Trickle over 2-3 tablespoons of the oil, then scatter with the thyme leaves and some seasoning. Roast for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes soften a little, but still hold a good shape. Remove and cool, spooning over some of the roasting juices.
• While the tomatoes are roasting, blanch the shallots in boiling water for half a minute or so, then drain and cool under cold running water. Peel off the skins and trim the root ends. Also peel off any tough inner skins and cut any larger shallots in half so they are all roughly the same size.
• Heat all but 1 tbsp of the remaining oil in a large frying pan and toss in the shallots, stirring to coat in the oil. Sauté over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until they become tender and begin to turn mid-golden in colour. Add the rosemary, season and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• Sprinkle the sugar and 2 tbsp water into a smaller frying pan and leave to stand for about 3 minutes. Put the pan over a low heat, shaking occasionally to mix the melting sugar and stirring gently. When all the sugar has dissolved, turn up the heat and cook to mid-golden brown.
• Remove from the heat and mix in first the butter and then the vinegar. Take care as this might spit a bit - you should be left with a nice syrup. Toss in the shallots and tomatoes and stir lightly to coat.
• Now stand eight 150ml ramekins on a metal baking sheet. Drain the shallots and tomatoes in a colander, saving the syrup, then divide them between the ramekins and set aside to cool.
• Cut the pastry into 4 oblong pieces on a lightly floured board. Roll out each one very thinly, then cut out two 9-10cm discs from each piece (the discs should be about 1cm larger than the diameter of the ramekins). Pick each piece up and press the edges gently between your fingertips to make the pastry thinner. Do not prick. Lay a pastry disc on top of each ramekin, then tuck the edges of the pastry down inside, between the tomatoes and shallots and the sides of the dishes, using the handle of a teaspoon to help. Press down lightly. (The tarts can now be chilled for up to 24 hours until ready to bake.)
• Preheat the oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until the pastry tops are crisp and mid-brown. Remove and cool for 5 minutes (the sugar will be very hot otherwise). Meanwhile, gently reheat the reserved syrup from the tomatoes and shallots with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Loosen the pastry edges with a small knife and carefully upend each ramekin on to a small plate. Cut the goat's cheese into 8 thin slices (discarding the rind ends), dipping your knife into a cup of hot water in between each slice. Put one slice on top of each tatin, drizzle over the warm syrup and garnish with little basil leaves. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Peel shallots and trim them so they are all the same length. This is vital as it ensures they all cook in the same time.
• Add the sugar to a baking tin about 9" in diameter (or a tarte tatin tin if you have one. Heat on the hob until the sugar melts and caramelises (looks nut brown). DO NOT STIR the sugar, just shake the tin to make sure that it all melts evenly.
• Carefully add the shallots (caramel can cause very nasty burns).
• Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the shallots.
• Roll out the pastry and cut a rough circle just larger than the size of tin you are using. Lay it over the shallots and tuck in around the sides.
• Add to a preheated 200 degrees C oven for around 25 minutes or until the pastry looks done.
• Enjoy!