Onion Tart With Leeks Capers And Anchovy Recipes

PISSALADIèRE

Steps:

• For the dough: Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl. Pour in the water, spoon in the oil and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
• Return the dough to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave it to rise for about 1 hour or until the dough springs back when pressed.
• For the filling : while the dough is rising, heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or sauté pan, throw in the onions with the garlic, and fry gently for about 10 minutes with a tablespoon of sugar until softened but not browned, stirring from time to time.
• Sprinkle in the thyme, dried herbes de Provence, salt and pepper, and stir well. Cover and cook gently for 30 minutes until the onions are meltingly soft, stirring occasionally and removing the lid for the last 10 minutes to reduce any liquid. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 430 F (220 C). Knead the dough again briefly, then roll it out into a large rectangle, then transfer onto a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Don't let the dough rise again.
• Spread the onion mixture over the dough, then arrange the anchovies on top, making a criss-cross pattern. Stud each anchovy intersection with an olive.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Serve warm or lukewarm, cut into squares.

ONION TART WITH LEEKS, CAPERS AND ANCHOVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Put olive oil in a wide skillet or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When oil is wavy, add onions and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Add leeks, garlic and thyme, and cook for another 5 minutes, until leeks are softened but still bright green. Taste and adjust seasoning, then spread mixture on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
• Lay pastry round on a rimmed parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread cooled onion mixture over pastry, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold over the border and crimp.
• Sprinkle capers evenly over onion mixture. Arrange anchovy fillets on top.
• Bake for 45 minutes, until the pastry is nicely browned. Cool tart for 5 minutes, then sprinkle the chives on top and cut into wedges to serve.

CLASSIC BACON AND EGG QUICHE

Steps:

• Bake chilled dough in a 9 1/2-inch tart pan at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Patch any small holes with leftover dough. Cool.
• Make the custard: in mixing bowl, beat eggs. Whisk in crème fraîche, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Set aside.
• Put bacon in small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until tender, then drain and cool slightly.
• Set tart pan on a baking sheet. Sprinkle bacon evenly over bottom of pastry. Add Gruyère if using. Beat custard once more and carefully pour into tart shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, until top is golden and custard is set. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ONION TART

Steps:

• Blend flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter butter over flour, top with lid and pulse 12 pulses to cut butter into flour to a coarse meal consistency.
• Dump butter-flour mixture into a medium stainless bowl. Make a well in the center and pour ice-cold water into the well.
• Using a flexible plastic dough scraper instead of your warm hands, bring the dough together by folding and pressing. Be firm and brisk and get the dough past its shaggy stage into a neat disk, trying to avoid using your hands or too much kneading. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Meanwhile, cut the onions in half and peel them. Slice the halves with the ribs (root end to sprout end direction), not against, to create julienne slices rather than half moons.
• In a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the bacon fat and slowly sweat the onions until they are caramelized. Take all the minutes you need - 25 or so - to let them soften to translucent, then to let the water they release start to evaporate, then to allow the sugars they contain to start to brown in the pan, so that you end up with soft, sweet and evenly browned onions. This is achieved by a slow caramelization. Set onions aside to cool.
• Roll tart dough out to a 1/4-inch-thick round, and drape over a round 10-inch fluted false-bottom tart pan. Lay dough into the pan, gently pressing into the bottom, and roll the pin across the pan to cut off the excess dough. Use your fingers to press the edges into the flutes, accentuating the shape of the dough edge. Dock the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork, weight the pastry with beans or weight and blind-bake for 25 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat the egg with the cream. Stir in the caramelized onions. Season with pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Stir well, and make sure the onions are all evenly coated with the custard.
• Remove tart shell from oven, and slip it onto a baking sheet. Remove weights, fill with the onion-custard mixture and distribute it evenly. Return tart to oven on the sheet, and bake for 25 minutes, or until custard has set, the tops of the onions start to achieve a deeper brown and the dough is dark golden brown at the edges.
• Remove from the ring, and allow to cool just a few minutes on the rack, so that the piping hot tart shell can kind of tighten up enough to be sliced with a sharp chef's knife. (In the first few minutes straight out of the oven, the dough is kind of soft from the heat, possibly giving you the false impression that you have a soggy tart. Let it sit on the rack just to shake off this initial soft stage and to recrisp and refirm, which it will.) Cut into wedges, and serve while hot.

TOMATO TART WITH CAPERS, ANCHOVIES, AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 3 tablespoons olive oil, and add the onions, 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat down to medium, add the butter, and cook 15 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the onions are a deep golden brown. Let cool completely before you make the tart, so they don't melt the pastry.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Place the defrosted puff pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use a paring knife to score an 1/8-inch-thick border around the edge of the pastry. Whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon water. Brush the border with the egg wash. Spread the caramelized onions evenly within the border.
• Core the heirloom tomatoes. Hold each tomato on its side and slice it into 1/4-inch-thick round slices. Place the tomato slices, just touching but not overlapping, on top of the caramelized onions (there will be some onion peeking through). If necessary, cut some of the tomato slices in half so they fit, placing the cut side of the slices flush with the border. Season the tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of black pepper.
• Slice the anchovies thinly on the diagonal.
• Arrange the anchovies, capers, and olives over the tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of thyme over the tart.
• Bake the tart 10 minutes. Turn the sheet pan, and bake another 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown.
• Just before serving, place the cherry tomatoes and diced shallot in a bowl, and season them with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Drizzle the super-good olive oil over the tomatoes, squeeze in a little lemon juice, and toss together. Add the arugula and herbs and toss well. Taste for seasoning. Cut the tart into six wedges, and place on six plates. Arrange some of the cherry tomato-herb salad next to each wedge of tart.