Upcycling Pastry Leftovers into a Delicious Caramelised Onion Tart – Simple Method
This particular recipe offers a speedy version on the French onion tart, converting some leftover of pastry scraps into a spontaneous delicacy. Save and combine any trimmings into a round mass and re-roll as and when required. Pastry stores nicely in the freezer, and by avoiding two lengthy steps in the traditional method – creating the pastry and cooking slowly the onions – this version is ready about an hour faster. In its place, the onions are heated upside down, softening and caramelizing beneath a blanket of dough with small fish and black olives for a quick, fun twist on a French classic. Should you have not as much pastry, you can always reduce the ingredients.
Speedy Upside-Down Pissaladière Tarts
The current trend of flipped tarts, which became popular on TikTok and photo-sharing apps a couple of years ago, may have started with an appetizing and easy fruit and honey pastry or an motivational savory tart that even resulted in a whole book on flipped dishes. I’ve also been experimenting with cooking upside down lately, from an lengthy vegetable pastry to these fast pissaladière tartlets. It’s a simple, playful method to make something that appears especially impressive.
Yields 4 personal pastries
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- Salt and peppercorns
- 8 small fillets (or 4, for a subtler flavor)
- Brined olives, to taste
- 120g dough – puff or shortcrust is suitable also
Preheat the stove to 410F/210C. Peel and trim the onion, then chop into four thick, round slices. Line a heat-resistant cookie sheet with non-stick paper, then visualize where you will position each slice of onion. Drizzle those locations with olive oil and honey, then flavor. Put two anchovies on top of each prepared patch and top them with a round of onion. Arrange a few black olives inside and beside the onions, then add with a extra oil, nectar, salt and pepper.
Turn on two side-by-side hob rings to a medium heat, put the pan on top of the rings and let the onions to heat untouched for 5 minutes.
At the same time, on a lightly floured counter, flatten the pastry and slice it into four squares sufficiently sized to enclose each slice of onion. Gently put one pastry rectangle on top of each slice of onion, seal along the sides with the reverse of a tool, then heat for 20 minutes, until the crust is browned. Place a plate on top of the hot pan, then flip to turn the tarts on to the surface. Gently lift off the paper and enjoy.
