Caramelised Red Onion and Blue Cheese Tart
Serves: 4
Nut roast? Ha. This truly spectacular tart elevates a vegetarian Christmas into a whole new stratosphere.
Ingredients:
4 good-sized red onions, thinly sliced a splash of olive oil a pinch of sea salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 bay leaf (optional) 5 tbsp red wine 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar ¼ tsp soy sauce 1 tsp butter 150g vegetarian blue cheese (Stilton works a treat) a good pinch of freshly chopped rosemary leaves a handful of toasted walnuts about 200g all-butter puff pastry 200g plain white flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 100g unsalted butter, fridge cold 6-8 tbsp cold watermethod:
- Preheat your oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
- Place a wide-bottomed pan over high heat. Splash in some oil. Add the onions, a pinch salt and half the pepper.
- Coat in the oil. Lower the heat. Cook till glossy, sweet and tender, about 30 mins.
- Whip up the pastry. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Cut the butter into tiny 1-2cm cubes and add to the flour, little by little, coating the butter cubes in the flour as you add them.
- Rub the butter into the flour until the mix is like breadcrumbs. Add enough water to bring it together into a soft, silky (not sticky) dough.
- On a floured surface, pat the dough into a rectangle. Roll until 1-2cm thick. Fold in the sides like your folding a letter. Rotate the rectangle 90degrees. Roll out again. Repeat this process five times, ending with a letter-folded piece of dough. Wrap up in a clean tea towel. Refrigerate 30mins.
- When the onions are almost done, turn the heat up a little. Add bay, if using, the red wine and balsamic. Let the onions guzzle it up, and get a sticky glaze. Fold in the soy and 1 tsp butter. Taste. Season. Don’t overdo the salt though, as you’ll be adding salty cheese later.
- Lightly butter a small, shallow baking dish or frying pan (about 20cm diameter). Scatter onions in. Crumble over 100g of the cheese.
- On a floured surface, roll the pastry out. Cut into a circle the size of the pan. Lay on top of the cheese and onions. Tuck the edges in. Gently press down.
- Bake for 40 mins or till golden. Carefully turn out onto a serving plate. If the sides of the pastry are pale, cook a little longer. Finish tart off by dotting over the remaining cheese, a dusting of rosemary and walnuts.
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