Overview:
By: Antonia
Meal Type: Tart
Cook time: 40 Minutes
Servings: 6
I always keep a sheet of ready-made puff pastry in the freezer so that I have the base for a speedy tart to hand. I love the combination of sweet, sticky onions and the sharp, fresh flavour of goat’s cheese – this is a largely ‘hands off’ recipe as the onions cook slowly in the simmering oven whilst you do other things!
You'll need...
Ingredients:
Method:
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Place your lidded, ovenproof pan on the floor of the roasting oven to pre-heat. Peel and halve the onions and slice thinly. Move pan to the simmering plate and add butter and oil, which will melt immediately. Add the sliced onions and thyme sprigs and fry gently until the onions are starting to soften. Sprinkle over the sugar, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and transfer pan to the floor of the simmering oven for 40 minutes, or until the onions are soft and sticky.
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Transfer the onions back to the simmering plate and remove the lid. Cook for a further couple of minutes to drive off any liquid. Set aside.
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Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet or greaseproof paper. Carefully unroll the puff pastry and place on the baking sheet. Using a sharp knife score a rectangle 2cm in from the edge. Spoon the onions into the centre rectangle, removing the woody thyme stalks as you go. Spread out in an even layer, leaving the outer edge clear. Slice the goat’s cheese into 1cm circles and arrange on top of the onions.
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Place the baking tray on the floor of the roasting oven and cook for 10 minutes to crisp the bottom of the tart, then move to the second runners for 5-10 minutes until the goat’s cheese and pastry are golden.
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Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before sprinkling with a few thyme leaves and serving.
Aga range cooker tips:
- Remember to take the pastry out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you need it. It will be easier to unroll and less likely to crack as you place it on the baking sheet.
- The direct heat from the floor of the roasting oven ensures that this tart has a lovely crisp bottom. Moving it to the top of the oven halfway through ‘grills’ the cheese on top.
- Once you’ve moved the tart to the top of the roasting oven, do keep a close eye on it – it doesn’t take long to go from perfectly golden pastry to burnt pastry and Aga range cooker temperatures can vary depending on the age and model.
- Caramelising onions in the simmering oven this way is preferable to sweating a pan on the hob – use this method with regular onions to make a delicious French onion soup or serve the onions as a sweet and sticky accompaniment to cold meats and cheeses.
- Vary the toppings of your tart as you please – roasted vegetables and feta are particularly good!
This fun family recipe has been scribed and tested by community member Antonia, who is a hard working mum with two boys. Her recipes are trialed in her much loved Aga range cooker and devoured by her family, allowing Antonia to provide accurate tips and advice on how to make the dishes a success! Go check her work out! She is a country girl, happily surrounded by an excitable Lab, her dear husband, two boys and the Cotswolds.
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