Savory Onion Tart

I have borrowed 'Baking with Julia' from the Library. I was flipping through the pages and one of the recipe caught my attention. It was 'Alsatian Onion Tart' which had onions and bacon. That made me think of making a spicy, savory onion tart and I didn't follow her recipe for the crust or the topping. I have made pies many times and I just tweaked my pie crust recipe to have some heat and made the crust. As far as the topping goes, it is just onions sauteed with some chilli flakes and I added some cubed potatoes to it. This makes a great appetizer if you cut them into thin wedges.

Ingredients:
For the crust:

• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli flakes - 1 TBSP or more. You can even mince green chillies and use it.
• Butter - 5 TBSP cold cut into pieces
• Cold water - 3 - 3 1/2 TBSP

For the topping:

• Red Onions - 2 Large chopped into chunks
• Potato - 1 medium peeled and cubed
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Red Chilli flakes - 1 TBSP or to taste

Method:
In a bowl, place all the ingredients mentioned in the crust ingredients list except water. With a pastry blender, mix in the butter till it resembles coarse meal. You can do it in food processor too. Now slowly add water 1 TBSP at a time to make the dough. As long as the dough comes together even if it is a little crumbly, you are good. Wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. When hot, add onions some salt and keep stirring occasionally and cook till half done. Now, add the cubed potatoes and red chilli flakes and mix. Let the onions cook for 3  - 5 minutes more and potatoes are soft, but not totally cooked. Turn off the heat. Let it come to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the crust dough from the refrigerator. On a very lightly floured surface, start rolling the dough into a circle as thin as you can roll without tearing. I rolled it directly on a parchment paper so that all I have to do is lift and transfer on to the baking sheet. When you are done rolling, take a fork and pierce all over like a mad man/woman. This will ensure that the crust will not puff up. Spoon the topping on the crust. Gently press the filling so that it adheres to the crust. Bake for 30 minutes or till crispy on the outer edge. Let it cool for couple of minutes and then slice and serve. This is best served warm.

As you can see, I overloaded the crust with topping. Next time, I'll go easy on them. It was very tasty. Picture does not do justice to this dish. The dough can be rolled into the circle and saved in the refrigerator the day before you plan on making this. Topping can also be made earlier and stored in the refrigerator.

Happy Baking!! Pin It