CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND CAMEMBERT TART WITH HAZELNUT PASTRY

Caramelized onions and Camembert tart with hazelnut pastry

This sweet and savoury tart with caramelized onions and melted Camembert is just the ticket when you want to indulge yourself on a cold winter evening.

While preparing this recipe for caramelized onions and Camembert tart, I was transported back to my Mum's kitchen. I would often wander in to find her leaning over the kitchen counter, crying her eyes out and brandishing a sharp knife - no, she wasn't about to carry out a crime de passion; she was merely chopping onions. And although I did shed a few tears making this, I think I may have found the best way to chop onions without crying - or at least to stem the flow of tears as much as possible. 

I really love to make dishes with caramelized onions: they add a delicious sweetness to any savoury dish. I was inspired to make this recipe after my uncle visited my father recently. We hadn't seen him for about ten years, and Dad was thrilled to be able to show off his cooking skills, even taking his brother under his wing and teaching him how to make his Malai curry. However, when they came to visit me for dinner, I noted that they both reacted to vegetables the way Dracula reacts to garlic, so I guess it must be a family thing. Anyway, when my uncle left to return to sunny Australia, the temperatures dropped here and comfort food was definitely on the menu, so I decided to make a really Dad-friendly winter meal. It's naughty, but very nice. 

You can use shop-bought pastry, but I like the rustic, biscuity aspect of this wholewheat hazelnut pastry. I added lardons to this tart, but it works just as well as a vegetarian dish.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND CAMEMBERT TART WITH HAZELNUT PASTRY 

Serves 6-8 people

For the hazelnut pastry:

Ingredients
250g wholewheat flour
120g cold butter, sliced into cubes
4 cl cold water
40g crushed hazelnuts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey

1) Put the flour and cubes of butter into a large bowl and rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 
2) Add the water, olive oil, honey and crushed hazelnuts into the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until you get a smooth pastry. Then wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
3) Roll out the pastry on a floury surface. Place in a buttered flan dish and prick the base of the pastry with a fork, line with baking parchment and fill with dry beans.
4) Bake at 220°C for 4 minutes. 

For the caramelized onions and Camembert tart:

Ingredients
1 large red onion, sliced
2 small yellow onions, sliced
200g lardons (optional)
125g Camembert, sliced
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

1) Heat olive oil in a pan over a low-medium heat. 
2) Add the onions and cook for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with rosemary and stir occasionally. Optional: Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2-3 minutes prior to the end of cooking. 
2) Meanwhile, brown the lardons in a separate pan, then add them to the onions. Stir well. 
3) Place the slices of camembert on the base of the pastry.

4) When the onions have glazed, add them (and the lardons) on top of the Camembert slices.
5) Bake at 210°C for 20 minutes or until the pastry has browned. 

Serve with a mixed green salad.