You know what’s a good practice? Keeping some tart dough in the freezer.
It perfect for times when you want to fix yourself a quick snack, or probably have guests waltzing in. All you have to do it let the dough thaw while you get your choice of filling ready. I had some goat cheese at hand today so I make some caramelised onions, and garnished it with a little spearmint from my window sill. This garnish was quite an afterthought, really. But when I bit into the tart with the mint – the flavours came together so well! I felt so elated for discovering this, only to turn to the mighty Flavour Thesaurus and finding the exact same combination already mentioned. Deflated ego.
While folks on Facebook commended the genius of the flat tart, what really happened was that I miscalculated the diameter of the dough I should have cut. I definitely didn’t want to re-roll the dough and commit a dough-crime so I stuck the tart dough into the tart tins just as is. I blind baked them with weights until the crust was golden with slightly puffed up sides. I then spread the caramelised onions on it and dotted it with goat cheese. And just because I’m fixated with my blow torch I slightly melted the cheese with it. You could just as well stick it under the broiler.
With tart doughs, it’s very important to let them take a nap in the fridge once you’ve formed the dough. While the dough rests, the gluten relaxes and all the liquid in the dough is dispersed evenly. This ultimately leads to a tender, flaky tart crust – the kind that will win hearts. Moral of the story (repeated): Always have some tart dough in the freezer, because rushing the process won’t do you any good.
Caramelised Onion Tart with Goat Cheese
Serves: 6
Savory Tart Dough Recipe
250g flour
125g butter
3-4 tbsp ice water
Caramelised Onion Recipe
Inspired from: Egg, Michel Roux (USA | UK | India)
Ironically, I am not using the book for an egg recipe, but for the caramelised onion recipe that I have grown to adore. It’s so easy, and so delicious. People always want to know how it’s made when they try it.
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
6 medium onions, finely sliced
1/3rd cup cream
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Throw in the onions and cook them until golden brown, Make sure to stir it continuously, lest it stick to the bottom of the pan. When all of it has evenly browned, add the cream and cook it for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let it cool.
Assembling:
Spread a generous layer of caramelised onions on the cooled tart base and top it with some crumbled goat cheese. Stick this under the broiler if you’d like to melt the cheese, or eat it as it is. Garnish with the sprig of mint and serve.