Savory onion tart
Use premade pie crust for a firmer bottomed, cracker like crust, or a thawed puff pastry sheet from the freezer section of your supermarket for that crumbly, light and layered dough effect.
you'll need a 10-inch tart pan (the kind where the bottom can be pushed up)
3 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
4 large sweet yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced into half rounds
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons (or so) dried Herbes-de-province
1 box (2 sheets) puff pastry dough, thawed
or 1 ready pie crust rolled out to 10 inches
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago or Pecorino cheese
several canned anchovie fillets (optional)
 keep onions light in color |
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Saute the sliced onions, sprinkled with salt, pepper and the dried herb mix in the oil over medium heat until very very soft but not brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Remove any puddles of oil with a spoon or soak up with a folded paper towel.
 spoon in filling |
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While the onions are cooling, remove the bottom from the tart pan. Roll out the pastry dough slighly, just enough so the tart pan bottom fits on it completely. Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to cut around the tart pan bottom. Place the bottom back into your tart pan, and place the circle of dough into the tart pan. Do not roll our the other sheet, but cut 1 inch wide ribbons from it, and press the dough into place at the sides of the tart pan, using your fingers to push the dough into the ridges. Trim any dough pressed up beyond the rim by rolling the rolling pin over the edge of the tart pan. With a dinner fork, prick the bottom of your round cut out all over. Spoon the onion mixture into the shell, spreading all the way to the edges. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, and lay the anchovie fillets decoratively as you wish. They lend a fantastic punch of saltiness to the otherwise awsomely sweet savory tart.
If you're using a pie crust, place the unrolled crust on a cookie sheet. Simply spread the cooled onions to within 1 inch of the edge of the dough, top with the cheese and anchovies, then fold the bare edges forward over to encase the filling, pinching with your fingers to make a design if you wish. Brush with a bit of beaten egg to get than golden brown glow.
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Cut any leftover puff pastry dough into 1-inch ribbons, and braid three strands together, pinching the strands together at both ends of the finished braid. Lay on baking sheet next to tart pan.
Bake tarts in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Before serving, remove sides of tart pan by pushing upward on the bottom of pan. Slice tart with a pizza cutter or a very large knife, using a pie server to lift slices. Serve just warm or at room temperature with a hearty soup or salad to make a full summer meal.
