Onion Tart With Sherry Peppers Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Blend flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter butter over flour, top with lid and pulse 12 pulses to cut butter into flour to a coarse meal consistency.
• Dump butter-flour mixture into a medium stainless bowl. Make a well in the center and pour ice-cold water into the well.
• Using a flexible plastic dough scraper instead of your warm hands, bring the dough together by folding and pressing. Be firm and brisk and get the dough past its shaggy stage into a neat disk, trying to avoid using your hands or too much kneading. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Meanwhile, cut the onions in half and peel them. Slice the halves with the ribs (root end to sprout end direction), not against, to create julienne slices rather than half moons.
• In a wide sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the bacon fat and slowly sweat the onions until they are caramelized. Take all the minutes you need - 25 or so - to let them soften to translucent, then to let the water they release start to evaporate, then to allow the sugars they contain to start to brown in the pan, so that you end up with soft, sweet and evenly browned onions. This is achieved by a slow caramelization. Set onions aside to cool.
• Roll tart dough out to a 1/4-inch-thick round, and drape over a round 10-inch fluted false-bottom tart pan. Lay dough into the pan, gently pressing into the bottom, and roll the pin across the pan to cut off the excess dough. Use your fingers to press the edges into the flutes, accentuating the shape of the dough edge. Dock the bottom of the dough with the tines of a fork, weight the pastry with beans or weight and blind-bake for 25 minutes.
• In a bowl, beat the egg with the cream. Stir in the caramelized onions. Season with pepper, nutmeg and salt to taste. Stir well, and make sure the onions are all evenly coated with the custard.
• Remove tart shell from oven, and slip it onto a baking sheet. Remove weights, fill with the onion-custard mixture and distribute it evenly. Return tart to oven on the sheet, and bake for 25 minutes, or until custard has set, the tops of the onions start to achieve a deeper brown and the dough is dark golden brown at the edges.
• Remove from the ring, and allow to cool just a few minutes on the rack, so that the piping hot tart shell can kind of tighten up enough to be sliced with a sharp chef's knife. (In the first few minutes straight out of the oven, the dough is kind of soft from the heat, possibly giving you the false impression that you have a soggy tart. Let it sit on the rack just to shake off this initial soft stage and to recrisp and refirm, which it will.) Cut into wedges, and serve while hot.

Steps:

• In a large bowl blend together the flour, the butter, the shortening, and the salt until the mixture resembles meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water, toss the mixture until the water is incorporated, and form the dough into a ball. Chill the dough, wrapped well and flattened slightly, for 1 hour. Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, fit it into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and fold the overhang inward, pressing it against the side of the shell so the dough stands slightly above the edge of the pan. Prick the bottom of the shell lightly with a fork and chill the shell for 30 minutes. Line the shell with foil, fill the foil with the rice, and bake the shell in the lower third of a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and rice carefully, bake the shell for 5 to 7 minutes more, or until it is pale golden, and let it cool in the pan on a rack. (The shell may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered at room temperature).
• In a heavy kettle cook the onions in the oil, covered, over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Uncover the kettle and cook the onions for moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until they are golden. Add the flour, cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, and remove the kettle from the heat. Stir in 1 cup of the half-and-half and combine the mixture well. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, the remaining 1 cup half-and-half, the Sherry Peppers Sauce, the salt, and the thyme, add the onion mixture, and combine the filling well.
• Put the shell on a baking sheet, pour the filling into it, and bake the tart in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is set. Let the tart cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Serve the tart warm with the tomato basil concassé garnished with the basil sprigs.
• In a bowl combine well the tomatoes, the oil, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and stir in the basil. (The concassé may be made 2 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled). Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Steps:

• Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Wrap in paper bag and seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers. Cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until just beginning to color, about 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool. (Bell peppers and onion can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove crust from box. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to soften. Unfold crust; peel off top plastic sheet. Press out fold lines. If crust cracks, wet fingers and push edges together to seal. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon flour over surface of crust. Place crust, floured side down, in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off second plastic sheet. Fold crust edge in, forming double-thick sides. Pierce dough all over with fork. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool crust. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
• Arrange onion in crust. Top with bell pepper strips. Sprinkle with basil. Whisk cream, eggs, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour custard over vegetables. Bake tart until custard sets, about 20 minutes. Cool tart 5 minutes in pan on rack. Remove pan sides. Cut tart into wedges and serve warm.

Steps:

• Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. , In a small skillet, saute onions in oil until tender; cool. In a food processor, combine the eggs, feta cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce; cover and process until smooth. Gradually add cream and milk; process until blended., Brush the inside of crust with mustard. Sprinkle the green onions, chives and sauteed onions over crust. Carefully pour egg mixture over onions. Top with Parmesan cheese. , Bake at 375° for 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.