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Red onion tarte Kitchen tatin , goat ’ s cheese , watercress & hazelnuts
Paul Ainsworth
SERVES 4
FOR THE BALSAMIC CARAMEL
• 60g sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 25g cold butter , chopped into small pieces
FOR THE FILLING
• 3 large red onions , peeled and cut into 2cm pieces with the root left on
• 4 thyme sprigs , leaves picked
• 100g sheet puff pastry
FOR THE TOPPING
• 15g butter
• 40g hazelnuts , peeled
• 8 slices goat ’ s cheese
• 20g watercress , picked and washed
• extra virgin olive oil , to serve
• balsamic vinegar , to serve
1 Heat the oven to 220C / 200C fan / gas 7 . For the caramel , tip the sugar into a small frying pan ( around 20cm – this will be the same pan you bake the tart in ) and put it over a medium heat . Melt the sugar , stirring occasionally , until golden . This is called a ‘ direct caramel ’ – the temperature will reach around 160C , which you can check by using a sugar thermometer . Remove from the heat and , with extreme care , add the balsamic vinegar ( it will bubble ). Stir to cool slightly , then add the cold butter into the mixture , bit by bit , to form a velvety butterscotch . Set aside . 2 Put the onions into a bowl and season with sea salt and a pinch of cracked black pepper . Add the thyme and gently mix to combine . Tip the red onions on top of the balsamic caramel until the pan is completely full . 3 Put a plate slightly bigger than the pan on top of the pastry sheet . Cut around the plate to create a circle of pastry . Put the pastry circle carefully on top of the red onions and push the pastry gently down all the way around , tucking in the red onions . Make a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking . 4 Bake the tart for 55 mins , checking every 15 mins . Cook until the pastry is really crisp . Remove from the oven and put the hot pan on a cooling rack . Allow to cool for at least 20 mins . 5 Tip the butter into a small frying pan set over a medium-high heat . Melt until the butter is foaming . Add the hazelnuts and keep them moving in the butter until they are golden and smell amazing . Season with sea salt . Drain onto kitchen paper , then roughly chop them into chunks . 6 To serve , put the onion tart in the oven for a few minutes to loosen the caramel and warm through . Turn out onto a board or plate . Put the slices of goat ’ s cheese on top , followed by the chopped hazelnuts and crisp watercress . Finish with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar .
TIP This recipe will also work with small white onions and large shallots . You can get creative with other vegetables such as carrots , parsnips , turnips and celeriac .
60 bbcgoodfoodshow . com