French Onion Tart Garnished with Crème Fraîche

Ingredients

2 cups/255 grams all-purpose flour

Pinch of kosher salt

1⁄2 cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into thumbnail cubes

1⁄2 cup/120 milliliters ice-cold water

1 pound yellow onions

2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat or lard (or 2 or 3 slices of bacon, cut into batons), optional

1 large egg

1⁄2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Optional Garnish

Crème fraîche and lightly dressed frisée salad greens.

Instructions

Step 1

Blend flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter butter over flour and using around 12 pulses, cut the butter into the flour creating a coarse meal consistency.

Step 2

Dump butter-flour mixture into a medium stainless bowl. Make a well in the center and pour ice-cold water into the well.

Step 3

Using a flexible plastic dough scraper instead of your warm hands, bring the dough together by folding and pressing. Be firm and brisk and get the dough past its shaggy stage into a neat disk, trying to avoid using your hands or too much kneading. Preheat the oven to 375°. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Note: If you don’t get the dough to come together so handily, just let it chill longer.

Step 4

Meanwhile, peel the onions, slice them in half root end to sprout end and then cut into thin slices following the striations of the onions.

Step 5

In a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the bacon fat (I use 2 or 3 slices of bacon instead, cut into small batons, reserved after rending the fat). Sweat the onions over medium heat and slowly caramelize them in the bacon fat or olive oil until they are a rich golden brown. Take your time with this step! Add the bacon back into the onion mixture and set aside to cool.

Step 6

Roll tart dough out to a 1/4-inch-thick round, and drape over a 10-inch fluted false-bottom tart pan. Lay dough into the pan, gently pressing into the bottom, and roll the pin across the pan to cut off the excess dough. Use your fingers to press the edges into the flutes, accentuating the shape of the dough edge. Dock the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork, weight the pastry and blind-bake for 25 minutes.

Step 7

In a bowl, beat the egg with the cream. Stir in the caramelized onions and bacon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, making sure that the onions are all evenly coated with the custard.

Step 8

Remove tart shell from oven, and slip it onto a baking sheet. Remove the weights and fill the shell with the onion-custard mixture, distributing it evenly. Return tart to the oven on the sheet pan, and bake for 25 minutes, or until custard has set, the tops of the onions start to achieve a deeper brown and the dough is dark golden brown at the edges.

Step 9

Remove from the ring and allow the tart to cool for a few minutes on a rack, so that the piping hot shell can firm up enough to be sliced with a sharp chef’s knife. Cut the tart into wedges, and serve warm. Note: I think this tart is also good served at room temperature and takes well to re-heating. For a plated presentation, garnish with crème fraîche and some frisée.