Upside-down Onion Tart

Recipe by our Head Chef, Lottie Tork. A humble comfort food for challenging times.

I was both flattered and happy to be asked to contribute a recipe for here!

Easy-peasy, I thought. But then it occurred to me that I wanted to contribute a recipe that was not only easy to make but has ingredients that are easy to obtain wherever the you might be. Moreover, I wanted it to be cheap.

I, like many others, lost my income this year, and cooking something frugal and delicious with the same (big) love as I do with fancy ingredients in my professional life, is at times a challenge.

But not so with this recipe. The ingredients are humble and yes, they do look a little seventies, but all is forgiven when you bite into the crunchy pastry and the sweet buttery onions.

Seriously, you will make this tart again and again, even if you think you don’t fancy it now. I urge you to make this for the family or for a party of two. Serve it with any vegetables or salad, a glass of crisp white wine or chilled council-champagne (tap water) and a sprig of rosemary.

Recipe

1 roll of ready rolled puff pastry

4 medium sized onions, halved

40 grams of butter

4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (balsamic works too!)

8 gloves of garlic, peeled and halved

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

4 bay leaves

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

100ml tap water

Heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.

Heat the butter in a heavy oven proof pan, add bay and thyme until the butter bubbles.

Add the vinegar, sugar and water.

Add the onions, flat-side down and fill the gaps with garlic, cut side down.

Cover and steam for 10 minutes.

Roll the pastry over the top, tucking in the corners so it follows the shape of the pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes.

Carefully turn the pan upside down (you might have to loosen the pastry edges with a knife first).

And there you have it.... Enjoy!

The recipe was contributed by Lottie Tork, Campfire Stories head chef. Lottie currently resides in the Ardeche, in rural France, where she’s founded and runs @margotsretreat.