Autumn is here, and with it begins the season of coziness, colorful leaves, and home-cooked food... One of our annual classics is French onion tart. Just frying the pink onions from Roscoff with the hearty vetrêche will make your mouth water. A hint of Espelette piment, creamy sour cream, and rich crème épaisse give this recipe a piquant, creamy freshness. Of course, it works without, but the topping of ash-cured goat cheese perfectly rounds out the onion tart.
A delicious cheeseless alternative that we tried as mini tartlets is the pure onion tart, optionally decorated with olives.
In Alsace—as well as in parts of southern Germany—onion cake is usually served with Federweißer. We opt for "regular" white wine, which you're welcome to sample while cooking...
Ingredients:
- 250 g flour (type 550)
- 15 g yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 125 ml milk
- Fleur de Sel
- 30 g salted raw milk butter from France
- 100 g Ventrêche bacon , streaky
- 1 Selles-sur-Cher AOP goat cheese with ash rind ( hazelnutty to mushroomy, creamy and subtly acidic)
- 500 g Roscoff onions
- 2 eggs
- 75 ml sour cream
- 50 ml crème épaisse (or crème fraîche if desired)
- 1 tsp Espelette pepper
- Olives for snacking or topping leftover dough :)
Preparation:
- First, combine the yeast, sugar, melted butter, and lukewarm milk in a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients until the yeast is completely dissolved. Then add the flour and about 1 teaspoon of fleur de sel to the bowl and knead the dough (preferably using a stand mixer with a dough hook) until it forms a smooth dough. Then let it rise in a warm place until the dough has approximately doubled in size.
- Finely dice the bacon , peel and finely slice the Roscoff onions and fry them in a large pan with plenty of butter at low temperature until the onions become translucent.
- Mix the eggs, sour cream, crème épaisse and piment d'Espelette in a small bowl and then add to the pan with the onions and bacon and allow the mixture to set slightly.
- Knead the dough briefly again and then pour it into a springform pan. Make sure the sides are high enough to allow enough room for the filling.
- Now add the prepared onion mixture to the dough.
- The Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese is sliced and placed on the onion tart.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (conventional oven, if possible) for 40 minutes. For a snack in the meantime and to keep your hunger at bay, we recommend delicious black olives from the South of France.
The onion cake tastes best when served warm to lukewarm and enjoyed with a chilled wine. We recommend two wines that go perfectly with it:
Number one is the Alento Branco: “Light yellow in color with aromas of citrus fruits and mineral notes, harmonious in the mouth with a well-integrated acidity that gives the wine freshness and length.”
Our second recommendation is the Moscatel Galego Uivo (Douro) . "Forget Riesling, Sauvignon, and Chardonnay for a moment and discover this Moscatel as your summer drink of choice!"
With this recipe and the perfect wine pairing, you're guaranteed a wonderful evening. Enjoy autumn with all its colors and delicacies.
The team at Maitre Philippe & Filles wishes you a Bon Appetit!
