This technique provides a speedy take on the French onion tart, turning a small amount of leftover pastry into a impromptu snack. Save and gather any trimmings into a round mass and roll out again whenever needed. Pastry freezes beautifully in the freezer compartment, and by omitting two time-consuming procedures in the classic preparation – making the dough and caramelising the onions – this recipe assembles in nearly half the time. Alternatively, the onions are heated flipped, steaming and caramelising below a blanket of pastry with small fish and dark olives for a fast, enjoyable twist on a French classic. And if you have less pastry, you can always cut down the recipe.
The recent trend of upside-down tarts, which went viral on TikTok and Instagram a recently, may have originated with a tasty and straightforward sweet pastry creation or an inspirational onion tart that even resulted in a complete guide on flipped dishes. Personally, I’ve been having a lot of fun with inverted baking these days, from an lengthy vegetable pastry to these speedy pissaladière tartlets. It’s a easy, playful method to prepare something that appears particularly unique.
Makes 4 individual tarts
Preheat the stove to 410F/210C. Peel and trim the onion, then slice into four sizable, round slices. Prepare a stovetop-safe baking tray with parchment, then visualize where you will position each piece of onion. Drizzle those locations with cooking oil and syrup, then season. Place two fillets on top of each flavored area and layer them with a piece of onion. Tuck a few black olives in and around the onions, then add with a additional oil, nectar, salt flakes and spice.
Activate two adjacent hob rings to a warm setting, put the pan on top of the burners and leave the onions to heat undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, on a dusted surface, flatten the sheets and slice it into four pieces sufficiently sized to cover each piece of onion. Precisely lay one pastry square on top of each piece of onion, press down around the edges with the reverse of a tool, then cook for a short while, until the pastry is golden brown. Set a serving platter on top of the hot pan, then turn over to invert the tarts on to the board. Slowly peel away the parchment and present.
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