Upcycling Pastry Leftovers into a Flavorful Caramelised Onion Tart – Simple Recipe
This recipe offers a quick interpretation on the French onion tart, transforming some leftover of pastry scraps into a spontaneous delicacy. Store and collect any trimmings into a round mass and use again as the need arises. Pastry stores nicely in the freezer, and by skipping two time-consuming procedures in the standard preparation – making the pastry and caramelising the onions – this version assembles in nearly half the time. In its place, the onions are cooked flipped, cooking and caramelizing under a covering of pastry with anchovies and black olives for a speedy, fun variation on a iconic French recipe. And if you have a smaller amount of dough, you can always reduce the ingredients.
Quick Upside-Down Pissaladière Tarts
The current trend of flipped tarts, which went viral on video platforms and Instagram a couple of years ago, may have originated with a tasty and easy fruit and honey pastry or an inspirational onion tart that even inspired a complete guide on inverted recipes. Personally, I’ve been having a lot of fun with cooking upside down these days, from an extra-long leek tart to these quick pissaladière tartlets. It’s a simple, playful approach to create something that feels extra-special.
Yields 4 personal pastries
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp extra virgin oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 8 anchovies (or 4, for a less intense taste profile)
- Pitted black olives, to taste
- 120g dough – light or buttery is suitable also
Warm up the stove to 410F/210C. Strip and clean the onion, then chop into four large, round slices. Prepare a stovetop-safe cookie sheet with non-stick paper, then plan where you will place each piece of onion. Sprinkle those areas with cooking oil and honey, then flavor. Place two small fish on top of each flavored spot and cover them with a piece of onion. Nestle a few dark olives among the onions, then season with a additional fat, nectar, salt flakes and black pepper.
Switch on two adjacent burners to a medium heat, place the pan on top of the rings and leave the onions to heat undisturbed for 5 minutes.
At the same time, on a dusted counter, roll out the dough and trim it into four pieces sufficiently sized to top each slice of onion. Gently put one pastry rectangle on top of each round of onion, seal around the edges with the back of a fork, then bake for a short while, until the pastry is crispy. Place a plate on top of the baking sheet, then turn over to flip the tarts on to the surface. Gently lift off the paper and present.
