German onion tart

Diana Henry
·3-min read
Make this tasty tart for Saturday lunch or supper
Make this tasty tart for Saturday lunch or supper - Haarala Hamilton & Valerie Berry

This is an old fashioned tart – sometimes also referred to as a pie – that can be made with bacon as well, but I love the pure onion flavour of this version. The crust, though yeasted, is easy to make. It’s a good dish for Saturday lunch or supper.

Allowing time for proving during prep

Overview

Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hr

Serves

6 with salad on the side

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing

  • 15g butter

  • 1.2 kg onions, peeled and sliced very finely

  • 4 medium eggs plus 1 yolk

  • 425g sour cream

  • a little freshly grated nutmeg

  • 2 tsp caraway seeds

For the crust

  • ¼ tsp caster sugar

  • 7g instant yeast

  • 180ml lukewarm milk

  • 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 75g butter, melted and cooled

Method

Step 1

For the crust, put the ¼ tsp caster sugar and the 7g instant yeast in a bowl and add the 180ml lukewarm milk. Leave this somewhere warm until you can see bubbles and froth on the surface.

Step 2

Combine the 300g plain flour and the ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast-milk mixture, one egg yolk and the 75g butter, melted and cooled. Mix together. Transfer to a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead the mixture for about 5 minutes until it comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If you want to do it by hand, it will take about 10 minutes’ kneading. The dough should be smooth and satiny.

Step 3

Lightly oil a large bowl, add the dough and turn it over so that it’s coated. Cover with a clean tea towel. Leave the dough somewhere warm to double in size; about 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 4

Heat the 1 tbsp sunflower oil and the 15g butter in a heavy-based pan and add the 1.2 kg onions, peeled and sliced very finely. Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, adjusting the heat and stirring regularly so that the onions don’t catch. Season and turn the heat right down. Add a splash of water.

Step 5

Checking every 10 minutes, cook the onions until they are sweet and golden. You don’t have to take them all the way to being dark and caramelised, but the onions do have to be soft. If the onions are very ‘wet’, turn the heat up and cook until they’re moist with no pools of liquid around them. Leave to cool.

Step 6

Mix the eggs, plus the extra yolk, with the 425g sour cream, some seasoning and the freshly grated nutmeg.

Step 7

Heat the oven to 190C/180C fan/gas mark 5 and put a metal baking sheet into it.

Step 8

Knock back the dough and lightly oil a 38 x 25 x 1.5cm baking tin. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to fit the tin, then lay it in place. You need to bring the dough up the sides, so you have a rectangle to fill.

Step 9

Set somewhere warm for 45 minutes. It will puff up so you have to gently punch it down a little to make space for the onions.

Step 10

Spoon the onions into the case and sprinkle the caraway seeds on top. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the onions and bake for 30 minutes, or until the tart is golden and just set; it shouldn’t wobble too much in the centre. Leave for about 10 minutes so it can cool down a bit, then serve with a salad on the side if you like.

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