Upcycling Pastry Leftovers into a Flavorful Caramelized Onion Tart – Simple Guide
The following recipe provides a speedy interpretation on the French onion tart, converting some leftover of pastry scraps into a quick treat. Keep and collect any scraps into a round mass and use again as and when required. Pastry freezes beautifully in the freezer, and by omitting two time-consuming processes in the classic method – creating the pastry and cooking slowly the onions – this dish is ready about an hour faster. In its place, the onions are prepared upside down, softening and caramelising beneath a covering of pastry with salted fish and brined olives for a fast, fun twist on a iconic French recipe. In case you have a smaller amount of dough, you can always halve the ingredients.
Fast Inverted Pissaladière Tarts
The current trend of upside-down tarts, which spread quickly on TikTok and photo-sharing apps a couple of years ago, may have started with a tasty and easy fruit and honey pastry or an motivational pastry dish that even led to a entire publication on upside-down cooking. Personally, I’ve been having a lot of fun with inverted baking these days, from an elongated savory tart to these fast small onion tarts. It’s a simple, creative approach to create something that feels extra-special.
Yields 4 individual tarts
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp extra virgin oil
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 small fillets (or 4, for a subtler taste profile)
- Pitted black olives, to taste
- 120g pastry sheets – flaky or firm can be used also
Preheat the appliance to a hot oven. Strip and trim the onion, then chop into four thick, round slices. Prepare a stovetop-safe cookie sheet with baking paper, then imagine where you will position each slice of onion. Drizzle those locations with oil and honey, then flavor. Place two anchovies on top of each seasoned area and cover them with a piece of onion. Arrange a few black olives inside and beside the onions, then add with a additional oil, honey, salt and spice.
Activate two adjacent burners to a moderate temperature, set the pan on top of the elements and let the onions to cook undisturbed for a short time.
At the same time, on a lightly floured surface, flatten the pastry and cut it into four pieces big enough to enclose each round of onion. Precisely place one pastry square on top of each round of onion, press down along the sides with the flat side of a tool, then heat for a short while, until the crust is crispy. Set a board on top of the baking sheet, then flip to turn the tarts on to the board. Gently remove the parchment and enjoy.
