Alsatian Onion Tart

Since we returned to Sablet, we have eaten most of our meals in restaurants and fewer at home than what we originally planned. We have returned to some favorite restaurants but have discovered several new restaurants that I will share with you in upcoming posts.

The last few days before we came to Sablet, I was in Chicago for meetings with colleagues in the seniors housing industry. Shirley and I met up for our flight to Paris at O'Hare International Airport and brought along mail including the September/October issue of "Cuisine et Vins de France"

I flipped through the pages of the magazine during our flight to Paris and came across a recipe for "Tarte à l'Oignon à l'Alsacienne" (Alsatian Onion Tart). I showed the recipe and accompanying picture to Shirley and we agreed we would try it while we were in Sablet.

Back at Café des Sports

This being Monday when many of the restaurants in the area are closed, we decided to have the tart for dinner tonight with salads made from ingredients we picked up at the Vaison-la-Romaine market. Since I had to be on a telephone conference call this evening, Shirley said she would make the tart.

The tart was delicious and perfectly set after a few minutes cooling after being brought out from the oven after baking. I have had many savory tarts over the years but this was probably the most delicious one ever. Shirley's version of the recipe follows.

"Alsatian Onion Tart"
Makes 6 servings (the recipe in the magazine says it is for 4 persons)

Ingredients

600 grams (22 ounces) thinly sliced sweet onions
1 single pie/tart crust
150 grams (5 1/3 ounces) unsalted butter
3 large eggs, well beaten
25 cl (1 cup) crème fraîche
25 cl (1 cup) whole milk
45 grams (3 tablespoons) flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
50 grams (1/2 cup) grated Gruyere cheese
Nutmeg, salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make your favorite pie/tart dough and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Heat the butter and vegetable oil together till the butter is melted. Add the thinly sliced onions and sauté on medium/low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Don't let the onions color.

Mix in the flour and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the crème fraîche and whole milk. When its well mixed, stir in the 3 beaten eggs and 1/2 cup grated cheese.

Season the mixture with salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Roll out your chilled pastry and drape over a leak proof 24 cm (9 inch) quiche pan with removable bottom or spring form pan. Prick the dough with fork tongs.

Pour the onion mixture in the pan and bake for 30 minutes. It should be golden on top as shown in the picture above and pretty well set when you move the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing the tart mold.

Note: Shirley prebaked her tart crust for a few minutes so the crust was nicely baked and slightly golden. The recipe in "Cuisine et Vins de France" does not call for this step.

This was really a fabulous recipe for a light supper. I recommend it highly. Serve with salad greens or vegetable Crudités like we did along with crusty baguette. Bon Appétit.