Recipe from Deborah Madison
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- 5(383)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The chef and gardener Deborah Madison has been writing almost entirely about vegetables for more than 25 years. This recipe comes from her book“Vegetable Literacy,” which breaks down the universe of vegetables into botanical families — the Carrots (carrot, celery, fennel, parsnips), the Sunflowers (sunchoke, cardoon, artichoke, endive, escarole, lettuce) and so on. —Julia Moskin
Featured in: Cooking Asparagus and an Onion Tart With Deborah Madison
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Ingredients
Yield:4 main course servings, or 6 to 8 appetizer servings
- 1½pounds onions (about 3 medium), preferably white
- 2slices of bacon, cut crosswise into small pieces, optional
- 2tablespoons butter
- 1heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 2 pinches dried
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- 3eggs
- ½cup crème fraîche or cream
- ½cup milk
- 1cup grated aged Gouda or Gruyère
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons white whole-wheat or spelt flour
- ¼teaspoon salt
- 6tablespoons butter, cut into small bits
For the Filling
For the Crust
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
715 calories; 47 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 886 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To make the filling, cut onions in half, peel them, and if they are strong, put them in a bowl of cold water. It doesn’t take long for that to reduce their sting. Finely dice them.
Step
2
If you’re using bacon, fry until browned and nearly crisp, then scoop out and drain on a paper towel. Throw out bacon grease, wipe out pan and add 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add onions, thyme and ¾ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. The onions needn’t be caramelized, but should just take on a faint golden hue. When done, let them cool slightly. Taste for salt (they’ll be very sweet, you might want to add more) and season well with pepper.
Step
3
While onions cook, whisk eggs with crème fraîche and milk. Stir in cooled onions, cheese and bacon, if using.
Step
4
To make the crust, put flour and ¼ teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add 6 tablespoons butter and turn mixer to low speed until butter has broken into small, pebble-size pieces. Drizzle in ice water until dough looks clumpy and damp. (You’ll use about 3 tablespoons, fewer if butter was soft.) Form dough into a disk or a rectangle to correspond to the shape pan you’re using. You have a few choices: a 9-inch tart pan, a square tart pan or a rectangular one (11 by 8½ inches), all with removable bottoms. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate.
Step
5
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough to fit tart pan, then drape dough in pan. Neatly press dough into pan and shape it. Set it on a sheet pan. Pour onion mixture into tart pan, and bake until surface is golden and browned in places, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool to warm before cutting into slices and serving.
Ratings
5
out of 5
383
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Cooking Notes
ADM
Why not make and chill dough before cooking bacon and onions so dish is ready to assemble when filling cools?
Bill
Absolutely delicious. I made the shell the night before with whole wheat flour. I used an 8" springform and left the side a little more than 1" high. The dough rolled out 3/16" thick and was just barely enough.
My only comment would be that the center of the bottom crust was not as crisp (actually not at all) as I would like. The next time I make this I will pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes, give it an egg wash, back in for 5min. Then fill and bake.
4 strips of bacon.
Leskap19
Really delicious. not difficult. Nice enough for company with a salad. Next time I will add a pinch of cayenne pepper just to cut the sweetness. Made it without bacon and my husband thought it had bacon in it. I made the crust while the onions were caramelizing. Since I didn't make the dough in advance, I didn't refrigerate it at all. Worked out well anyway, but of course, could be done ahead.
Bernice Glenn
The recipe is unclear about sequence: it doesn't say to make the crust after preparing the filling. It just places the pie crust instruction after the how to do the filling, and says to refrigerate.
Gayle
Wonderful base recipe - my co-op had a pound of less than perfect assorted mushrooms (sh*take, crimini and button) discounted, so I sliced them thinly and sautéed them with the onion. Used parmesan cheese. Crust amount was perfect for my 11" tart pan. Because it was thin, this baked in about 30 minutes.
Lauren Hendler
One of my favorites. I usually use ricotta instead of the creme fraiche.
Andrea
The proportions of everything in this recipe were perfect. The crust was crispy and the tart was flavorful without being overloaded with gooy cheese; it was a dinner party hit!
Paulina Hawkins
This was very good. I had only dried rosemary and used 1/2 tsp. The only change I would make is to add another egg and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Mine was ready in 30 minutes.
Bill
Absolutely delicious. I made the shell the night before with whole wheat flour. I used an 8" springform and left the side a little more than 1" high. The dough rolled out 3/16" thick and was just barely enough.
My only comment would be that the center of the bottom crust was not as crisp (actually not at all) as I would like. The next time I make this I will pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes, give it an egg wash, back in for 5min. Then fill and bake.
4 strips of bacon.
Lauren Hendler
One of my favorites. I usually use ricotta instead of the creme fraiche.
Gayle
Wonderful base recipe - my co-op had a pound of less than perfect assorted mushrooms (sh*take, crimini and button) discounted, so I sliced them thinly and sautéed them with the onion. Used parmesan cheese. Crust amount was perfect for my 11" tart pan. Because it was thin, this baked in about 30 minutes.
BK
This was a little too sweet for me, with all the onions. Maybe if I'd caramelized them a little more, I'd have liked it better.
NJfoodie
Cooked this many times, with consistently excellent results. One extra slice of bacon (total of three) is not too much.
Andrea
The proportions of everything in this recipe were perfect. The crust was crispy and the tart was flavorful without being overloaded with gooy cheese; it was a dinner party hit!
mesanger
Recipe seemed to make a LOT of dough for a 9 inch pan. Still a GOOD dough, so no complaints!
I didn't have creme fraiche so I used half and half and milk. Came out lovely.
With a salad this makes for a perfect patio dinner. Easy, delicious and attractive!
Leskap19
Really delicious. not difficult. Nice enough for company with a salad. Next time I will add a pinch of cayenne pepper just to cut the sweetness. Made it without bacon and my husband thought it had bacon in it. I made the crust while the onions were caramelizing. Since I didn't make the dough in advance, I didn't refrigerate it at all. Worked out well anyway, but of course, could be done ahead.
BEVERLY A SAUER
Superb and creamy. I used my own trusty pie crust recipe, and followed directions for the onion custard. The results were fine in the best sense of that term.
Excellent as an Appetizer, too.
This was very, very good. I used Gruyere. For the crust, I used 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt.
Mary
Why not make it with the cauliflower pizza crust?
MN
I'm guessing that this can be made without the crust altogether in a quiche pan
ADM
Why not make and chill dough before cooking bacon and onions so dish is ready to assemble when filling cools?
Bernice Glenn
The recipe is unclear about sequence: it doesn't say to make the crust after preparing the filling. It just places the pie crust instruction after the how to do the filling, and says to refrigerate.
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