We've Gone all Tarty - Potato & Balsamic Onion Wholemeal Tart, Caramel Apple Olive Oil Pastry Galette

Feeling a little tarty the other weekend I went to the pantry for inspiration….. and not what you may have been thinking that I was wearing some inappropriate attire for my age! In fact I have gone quite conservative lately with 60s vintage dresses that I am having so much fun buying, I just wish I could find the shoes to match. The back combed hair will not be making an appearance though, I only managed to grow it a couple of inches long before I went screaming to the hairdresser for a short crop again! Longer hair is so impractical if you want a quick surf before work and still turn up to the office looking half decent and on time.

The plan was to make a savoury and sweet tart out of the same pastry base but as I started on my tart mission I realized I did not have enough butter for two tarts but I was still determined to make two as remembered a recipe I had seen on one of my favourite food blogs by Natalie at Food Blog and the Dog. This is a ‘must go to site’ if you are vegetarian or need some non meat inspiration in your cooking. I often wish I could accompany Natalie on her walks through the Andalusian countryside.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the pastry for the sweet tart, after all I’m a die hard trained French pastry chef but I love this pastry so much I am going to make some of my Christmas baking with it this year. If you like a nice crisp crust you will love it too.

Potato & Balsamic Onion Tart with Wholemeal Rosemary Pastry

Pastry ingredients & method you can find HERE
Add a handful of fresh rosemary to the flour before whizzing into breadcrumbs

Ingredients – Filling

3 red onions, peeled & finely sliced

Olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 large potato (200g), peeled & thinly sliced

100g feta cheese

1 free range egg

100ml milk

pinch of salt & ground black pepper

Method – Filling

Pre-heat oven to 180C and grease & flour a loose bottom tart tin.

In a large frying pan over a medium heat add a splash of olive oil and the sliced onions.

Braise onions until they are soft, approximately 8 minutes then add the balsamic vinegar & brown sugar and stir through onions.

Cook for a further 2 minutes and allow onions to cool before spreading them over the tart case.

Crumble the feta cheese over the onions then arrange the sliced potatoes over the top as in the picture.

Whisk together the egg and milk with the salt & pepper and gently pour over the potatoes.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the egg has set and the potatoes are golden.

Serve with salad.

Caramel Apple Tart with Spelt & Olive Oil Pastry

Ingredients

75g Spelt flour or wholemeal

75g plain flour or wholemeal

1 Tbsp brown sugar

60g olive oil

1 egg

1/4 cup cold water (approximately)

Method – Pastry

Place both flours into a food processor with the sugar.

Add the olive oil to the flour while whizzing the food processor until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the egg and whiz again briefly.

Remove the lid & blade from the processor and continue the next step by hand to prevent the pastry going tough.

Add the water gradually while kneading the dough lightly with one hand, add only enough water to bring the dough together. Once the dough comes together do not knead it any longer.

You can rest the pastry for 10 minutes if it is warm but I find with wholemeal & buckwheat the pastry is manageable straight away.

Roll pastry out to the size of a large dinner plate and move to a non stick baking sheets.

Ingredients – Filling

3 apples, cored and slice thinly

2 Tbsp castor sugar

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp butter

Method – Filling

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Arrange apple slices around the pastry base leaving an inch bare around the edge to fold over.

Fold dough into the centre to cover the edge of the apples, pleating as you go, it doesn’t have to be perfect, galettes are rustic.

Place water, butter & sugar for the caramel in a pan on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved then turn up the heat. Once it starts to turn golden brown, turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Once cool pour carefully over the apples in the pastry case.

Bake for 35 minutes on a low shelf in the oven to crisp the bottom.

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