This onion tart is very versatile. I think of it as a dessert with savoury notes, although it also works as a starter that’s on the sweeter side. The Hand & Flowers book lists it as a main course - personally, I find it a little too sweet to order as a main - but whatever floats your boat / rocks your socks / bakes your cake / ruffles your truffles, just go for it.
A few things I hope you’ll take away from this recipe:
Creative dishes are all about combining and overlapping multiple ideas - I love the harmonies between the concepts in this dish. It’s got the classic cheese & onion pairing, the caramel and pastry combination that’s core to tarte tatin, and the soft goats cheese plays the role of the customary scoop of vanilla ice cream on an apple tarte tatin.
The dry caramel technique - Contrary to popular reality cooking TV shows, making caramel is not difficult, and the dry method is pretty much foolproof.
If you do try the recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments, or you can hit me up via email. Happy cooking!
Onion Tarte Tatin
Serves 2-4
Note: As mentioned above, whichever course you serve this as is totally up to you. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so my preference is to have it as a dessert for 4.
Total time: 2h 30m
Onion stock
Total time: 1h 10m / Active time: 10m
Equipment:
Option 1: Pressure cooker / slow cooker - I use an Instant Pot
Option 2: Large saucepan / stock pot
Option 3: Steamer and large Ziploc bag / vacuum sealer bag
All 3 options will get you a similar result, but pressure cooker / slow cooker is the easiest.
Ingredients:
1 large Spanish onion (around 500g), peeled
400ml water (1 litre water for saucepan / stock pot)
Method:
Roughly slice the Spanish onion. Place in pressure cooker and cook on broth setting for 30 minutes. Use express release when finished cooking.
Saucepan alternative: place sliced onions in saucepan with 1 litre of water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 hour. Check the water level periodically as it will boil off - you’ll need at least 200ml of onion stock.
Steamer alternative: place sliced onions with 400ml water in a Ziploc or vacuum sealer bag. Seal the bag, pushing out as much air as possible (or vacuum seal). Place in a steamer basket and steam for 1 hour.
Drain the onion stock into a jug or bowl, and discard the sliced onions.
Red onion marmalade
Total time: 1h 5m
Equipment:
Medium saucepan with lid
Recommended: Mandoline slicer
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium red onions, peeled, very finely sliced
35g soft dark brown sugar (light brown / caster is fine)
20ml cider vinegar
20ml balsamic vinegar
Optional: 1 tbsp mustard seeds
Method:
Very finely slice the red onions.
Tricks & Techniques: A mandoline slicer saves a lot of time here, and ensures perfectly uniform slices that will cook evenly. Be sure to use a protective cut resistant glove to protect your fingers.
Heat the oil in a saucepan on low heat. Add all the ingredients except the mustard seeds, and cover the saucepan, stirring occasionally. Cook until the onions are soft, around 25 minutes.
Remove the lid, add the mustard seeds if using, and continue to cook on low. Stir occasionally, until the onions have reduced into a sticky marmalade, around 25 minutes.
Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. You will have more red onion marmalade than needed for the recipe - it’s great as a condiment with meat dishes, and will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
Poached shallots and onion caramel
Total time: 1h 20m
Equipment:
Large saucepan
Medium saucepan
Whisk
Slotted spoon / long-handled strainer
Ingredients:
500g small round shallots or baby onions - basically, enough to fill the pan you’re using to bake the tarte tatin, plus a few extra (see picture below). I tested with shallots because they’re easier to find than baby onions.
60g caster sugar
20g unsalted butter, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced (I use a garlic press)
200ml onion stock
Method:
Peel the baby onions or shallots.
Tricks & Techniques: Shallot skins can be a nuisance to remove. My preferred method is to blanch the shallots for 3 minutes in a large saucepan of boiling water, and drain into ice cold water. Run a sharp knife gently from the root to the stem, peel the skin away in one piece, then cut off the root end (see pictures below).
Heat sugar in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat, until it boils and bubbles into a dark golden caramel, about 4 minutes. Turn down the heat if it starts to burn, and swirl the pan occasionally if some of the sugar doesn’t make good contact with the pan.
When the caramel is ready, take the pan off the heat, and whisk in the butter and garlic until well combined, about 1 minute.
Add the 200ml onion stock, heat on medium and bring to a boil, 2-3 minutes. Once boiling, add the shallots to the pan, and poach for 12 minutes. They should be soft and tender.
Remove the shallots using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl, and set aside. Turn heat down to medium-low, and reduce to a thick caramel, about 15 minutes. If the caramel gets too dry, add more onion stock.
Tricks & Techniques: To know when the caramel is ready, I do the “spoon handle test” (patent pending) - scoop a small amount of caramel with a teaspoon, and hold it vertically. The caramel should cling to the handle, ooze down slowly, and eventually stop. Just be careful not to get any hot caramel on your fingers.
To assemble and finish
Total time: 30m
Equipment:
Small ovenproof pan or pie dish (I use an 8in / 20cm Lodge cast iron skillet)
Ingredients:
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (you can of course, make your own if you so desire)
Poached shallots (from previous stage)
Onion caramel (from previous stage)
Red onion marmalade (from previous stage)
75g soft goat’s cheese
Method:
Preheat the oven to 185°C / 365°F.
Cut out a circular disc of puff pastry that’s slightly larger than your pan.
Tricks & Techniques: I cover the puff pastry with cling film, rest the dish on top, and trace out a circle with a small knife (see picture).
Pour a thin layer of warm caramel into the pan. Pack the poached shallots tightly in the centre. Lay the puff pastry disc atop the shallots. Use a paring knife to poke six holes in the pastry to release steam (see picture). Using a spoon, tuck the edges into the pan and around the onions, to form a lip.
Place the tarte tatin in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown, around 15-20 minutes.
Place a plate on top of the pan, and carefully flip over, so that the tarte tatin turns out onto the plate. Top with the red onion marmalade and little nuggets of goat’s cheese.
For The ‘Gram: For best aesthetics, turn out onto an intermediate plate, and then transfer to the final serving plate using a wide spatula. This avoids spilling caramel onto the serving plate.
I shaped the red onion marmalade as a quenelle. Here’s a helpful video on how to do it.
Timing Grid
This grid is designed to help you plan your cooking. Coloured blocks indicate active cooking time.
You can make the red onion marmalade and onion stock ahead of time / the day before if you want to split up the steps and have a more leisurely cook.
Equipment and Ingredients
Mandoline slicer - There are two options: you can either get a compact mandoline, or a full-feature standing mandoline. I use the compact Benriner 64mm, and recommend the Progressive PL8 for full-feature. My preference is the compact as they’re less hassle to clean. A cut resistant glove is a must have - you absolutely cannot trust the ‘guards’ supplied on these things. That said, I also kinda believe that a maimed finger is a rite of passage of owning a mandoline, so feel free to ignore my recommendation.
Cast iron skillet - One of my favourite pieces of cookware (and very inexpensive). It’s never too early to invest in your cast iron collection. They’re easy to clean, last for decades, take on character, and build memories in the kitchen. They also improve with usage, thanks to the layer of non-stick seasoning that builds up. (However that has also resulted in my mother occasionally stealing my best cast iron pieces).
Instant Pot - These always go on sale around big shopping days. I mainly use mine for making stocks and broths, but they can do so much more. Really great for rice if you don’t own a rice cooker.
Disclaimer: this is a little awkward, but I want to be 100% transparent so that you can have full confidence in my recommendations. I get paid from Amazon links as part of the Amazon Associate program. I will always check to see if the same product is cheaper elsewhere. I don’t receive payment from any other websites I link to. I will only ever link to brands and products that I personally use.