Cipollini Onion Tarte Tatin

Looking for something a bit more impressive to bring with you to Thanksgiving this year? This onion tarte tatin may just fit the bill! It’s not only delicious, the presentation is absolutely beautiful and is bound to elicit at least a few “did you MAKE that!?!?” comments from your relatives . . .

Cipollini mushrooms are adorably appealing and have always called my name in the market. This past weekend when I headed down to the Union Square Greenmarket to meet up with Elissa, I found a stall selling them for only $2.00 a pound and just knew I had to make something featuring them. Enter this recipe from Martha that I’ve had bookmarked for forever, and you end up with this onion tart. Martha calls for vidalia onions in her recipe but this tasted delicious with cipollini’s, too. Really, any sweet onion would do . . . and I think shallots might be a nice twist worth trying in the future!

What makes a “tarte tatin” is that the filling is cooked before the tart is baked. Usually a “tarte tatin” denotes apple, but after making this I’m already planning to try the same technique with other savory ingredients! The onions and leeks are cooked in a pan with chicken stock until the liquid reduces and the onions caramelize, giving a wonderfully deep and complex flavor to the dish. Few flavors are better than caramelized onions in my opinion!

Look at the color that develops as it caramelizes! Once everything is reduced down (this picture was taken about half-way through), you cover the filling with the dough:

And pop the whole pan in the oven. Then you wait and wait while the delicious flavor fills your home . . .

I served this with a light salad of arugula, clementines, and Parmesan cheese with just oil and vinegar (I’ll be featuring that salad here later, it was that good!). For being just salad and a tart, it was an incredibly satisfying meal. This tart would also be great as a side dish to something acidic or spicy. Just don’t pair it with something else sweet or you’ll be totally overwhelmed!

Cipollini Onion Tarte Tatin

For Crust:

• 1.25 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 3 tbsp ice water

For Filling:

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 lbs Cipollini onions, peeled. Half sliced length-wise to reveal the rings, the other half sliced 1/4″ thick
• 1 medium leek, white part only, well washed and sliced 1/2″ thick
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried), plus more for garnish
• 1.5 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Prepare crust:

Combine flour and salt in the food processor. Add butter and process for about 10 seconds, or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add thyme and shallots and process a few seconds more. With the machine running, add water little by little, until dough just holds together. Form dough into a flat disk, and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Prepare filling:

In a 10-inch skillet with a metal handle (size matters here!), melt butter. Sprinkle in sugar and remove from heat.

Arrange onion halves and leeks in the pan so that the leeks fill in the spaces between the onions. Sprinkle with half the thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lay onion slices on top. Sprinkle with remaining thyme and season with salt and pepper again.

Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until onions are a deep golden brown on the cut side. Turn on oven to preheat to 375 at this point.

Pour stock and vinegar over onions and bring to a simmer. Then cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes or until onions are very tender. Remove lid, raise heat, and cook until liquid is syrupy and almost completely reduced. Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes.

Assemble:

Remove dough from fridge and roll out to about 12″ in diameter. Dough should be about 3/8″ thick. Wrap dough around rolling pin and use pin to transfer to pan. Cover onions with dough and tuck in extra dough around sides.

Place pan in oven and bake until pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate. Serve warm, garnished with fresh thyme.

Tagged as: onions, side dish, tart