Onion Tarte Tatin

I can guide you through the recipe for an Onion Tarte Tatin, with an all-Italian touch. The Tarte Tatin is a classic French dessert, but in this savory version with onions, it will have a delicious sweet and caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with the onions.

Ingredients

• 1 kg red onions
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 30 g butter
• 1 sprig of thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 roll of shortcrust pastry or puff pastry
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Start by peeling the onions and slicing them thinly. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil and the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until they start to become soft. At this point, add the brown sugar and thyme, and let the onions caramelize slightly, adjusting with salt and pepper. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
3. Once the onions are caramelized, arrange them on the bottom of a round cake pan, trying to create an even layer.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 190 °C.
5. Roll out the shortcrust or puff pastry over the onions and tuck the edges of the pastry along the sides of the pan, almost as if to enclose the onions inside.
6. Make small holes in the pastry with the tip of a knife to allow steam to escape and bake the Onion Tarte Tatin for about 20-30 minutes or until the pastry turns golden.
7. Once cooked, let it cool for a few minutes and then flip the Onion Tarte Tatin onto a serving plate, being careful not to burn yourself with the caramel.
8. Serve the Onion Tarte Tatin warm or at room temperature.

Curiosities

The Tarte Tatin was created by mistake by the Tatin sisters in their hotel in France at the end of the 1800s. The legend says that one of the sisters, absentmindedly, forgot to put the pastry base in an apple pie, adding it only later on top of the filling. She therefore decided to bake the dessert as it was, finally flipping the cake before serving it, thus discovering a new delicious way to serve a cake. The version with onions is a savory variant of this sweet recipe.