Onion Tart with Smoked Salmon
Ingredients:
75g (2 ¾ oz) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 free range eggs
568ml (1 pint) double cream
400 – 500 g (14oz-1lb 2oz) smoked salmon
For the pastry:
175g (60z) plain flour
75 g (2 ¾ oz) cornflour
½ teaspoon sea salt
120g (4 ½ oz) butter
2 egg yolks
Method:
Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and gently sauté the onions for up to an hour with the thyme and some seasoning stirring occasionally.
The onions should be soft and golden brown.
Drain the onions of any excess juices, remove the thyme, and cool.
Make the pastry. Whiz the two flours, salt and butter to fine crumbs in a process.
Put in a bowl, then mix in yolks and about two tablespoons of ice cold water to make a dough (you may need extra water).
Knead well until smooth, roll into a ball, cover and chill for 2 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200oC/400o F/gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board to fit the flan tin.
If it cracks, simply press together, and leave the edges overhanging.
Prick the base, line with foil and baking beans and chill for 15 minutes.
Place the flan case on a heavy baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, remove the foil and beans and bake for another five minutes, then trim the pastry edges.
Turn the oven down to 140oC/275oF/gas mark 1.
Beat the eggs and cream together and season well.
Mix with the onions and scoop into the pastry case – it should fill it to the top. Return carefully to the oven and bake for 1 to 1 ¼ hours until the top is a pale golden and the centre barely wobbles.
Remove and cool.
Serve with slices of smoked salmon.
