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Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese and Thyme Tart

by Clair on November 11, 2009

As Spring warms up and heads into Summer, now is the perfect time for light, delicious lunch dishes served outdoors and shared with friends. This caramelised onion, goats cheese and thyme tart fits the bill perfectly, and is ideal served with crusty bread, a crisp, refreshing white wine and a large green salad.

This tart can be served warm or cold, so if you are rushed for time, you can make it in advance (it also freezes well and can be defrosted and reheated).

Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese and Thyme Tart Ingredients

  • 1 quantity short crust pastry (you can either use good quality shop bought pastry – you will need one sheet for a 24cm pie plate or 4 sheets joined together for 24 mini tartlets – or use the pastry recipe from the our Lemon Tart recipe rolled out to 5mm thick)
  • 4 spanish onions, skins removed, cut in half and sliced finely
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • Olive oil
  • 200g soft goats cheese (if you find goats cheese too ‘goaty’, then substitute with Danish fetta)
  • Large handful fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed from stems and chopped roughly
  • 4 eggs
  • 300ml cream

Caramelised Onion, Goats Cheese and Thyme Tart Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Grease a 24cm flan or pie plate well, roll out the pastry to 5mm thick and place into the pie plate then trim the edges. Blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown, removing the pie weights after 10 minutes to allow the bottom to colour.

Whilst the pastry case is baking, place the onions, brown sugar and a good few glugs of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan and allow the onions to saute very gently over low heat until caramelised. This will take some time, approx 30-45 minutes. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat and rush this step.

In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and cream until well combined, and season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme and combine.

Remove the pastry from the oven, top with the caramalised onions, sprinkle with the goats cheese (or fetta), then top with the egg mixture.

Reduce the oven temperature to 170-180°C and bake the tart for 20 minutes until the egg mixture is just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then serve.

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Tangy Lemon Curd Tart Recipe

Post image for Tangy Lemon Curd Tart Recipe

by Clair on November 20, 2008

This is a great version* (the best I have come across) of the classic lemon tart recipe; tangy lemon filling and crisp shortcrust pasty, just delicious! You could use the same recipe to make mini individual lemon tarts using muffin tins for afternoon tea.

Tangy Lemon Curd Tart Recipe Ingredients

  • 240g plain flour
  • Pinch salt
  • 180g butter, grated
  • 3 tbsps water
  • Finely grated rind of 4 lemons (you could also use lime zest)
  • Juice of 3 large lemons
  • 5 eggs
  • 250g caster sugar
  • 200ml pure cream

Tangy Lemon Curd Tart Recipe Method

Sift the flour and salt together onto a clean bench. Add the grated butter and lightly rub the flour and butter together between your finger tips and thumb tips (you don’t want it to be completely combined at this stage, it should be quite messy).

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add water. Using a butter knife cut the water into the flour so that it is partially combined. If it looks too crumbly, add another tablespoon of water and cut the water into the mixture again.

Quickly knead the mixture a couple of times to bring all ingredients together (just a few times – don’t over work the pastry). Wrap pastry in cling wrap and then refrigerate for 30 mins to an hour. You could also put the pastry in the freezer if you want to make it in advance; it will last a couple of weeks (just make sure it is well wrapped in cling wrap).

Preheat oven to 200°C. Thoroughly grease a 28cm diametre pie dish with butter (make sure the sides of the dish are a minimum of 6 cms high).

Pull your pastry out of the fridge and roll out onto a well floured surface (to stop it sticking) to 1/2 cm thick. Roll the pastry around your rolling pin, then gently unroll over the greased pie dish. Smooth down the pastry in the dish, removing any air bubbles trapped under the surface.

Place a piece of non stick baking paper over the top of the pastry and fill with pie weights, rice or beans (you can keep approx 1kg rice or beans for this purpose in your cupboard and reuse every time a recipe calls for ‘blind baking’ pastry; just make sure you label the rice/beans clearly as you can’t cook them after they have been blind baked).

Blind bake pastry in oven for approx 10-15 minutes until top edge of pastry starts to colour. Whilst pastry is baking make filling. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar until well combined, then add lemon juice, zest and cream and stir thoroughly.

Once top edge of pastry has started to colour, remove rice/beans and baking paper and bake pastry for a further 5-10 minutes until golden all over.

Turn down the oven to 160°C. Ladle the filling into the hot pastry case and carefully place back into the oven. Bake for 25-40 minutes (depending on how quick or slow your oven is – don’t be tempted to turn the heat up or you might end up with scrambled egg tart!) until the tart is just cooked and the centre is slightly wobbly.

Allow to cool on the bench and then refrigerate overnight prior to serving (don’t put the hot tart into the fridge as it may crack). Serve with ice cream or thick cream and fresh berries.

*Adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s Lemon Tart recipe in ‘The Cook’s Companion’. She lists Damien Pignolet as the source for the pastry recipe.

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