Today's vegetable recipe: The last new vegetarian entrée idea for Thanksgiving in 2009, a simple but sophisticated tart, rich enough to serve in thin slices as an appetizer or in larger wedges for a main dish.
In some guest room in some home in some city in some country -- is a basket of gold, that is, a basketful of vintage issues of the now-defunct and already much-missed Gourmet magazine. I only wish I could remember whose home! I do remember being unable to sleep on multiple visits, so taken with the classic recipes of another time, madly copying especially enticing ones onto 3x5 cards.
This recipe was called "Swiss Onion Cheese Flan" in the December 1967 issue of Gourmet and no where, no where, is is to be found on the Internet. (I kind of like that, don't you? Vive le paper!)
It's quite lovely, onions cooked to that golden-brown stage where they're silky and caramel-like. The crust too is especially easy, just a fork-stirred dough of cream, milk and flour, rolled in cornmeal for a crisp bite on the outside, almost yeasty inside. Delectable - and a good option for the pastry-impaired.
Happy Thanksgiving, all, see you after the holiday!
RECIPE for CARAMELIZED ONION TART
Hands-on time: 50 minutes
Time to table: 75 minutes
Serves 8 in entrée-size wedges, 16 in slim appetizer servings
Time to table: 75 minutes
Serves 8 in entrée-size wedges, 16 in slim appetizer servings
CRUST
2 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 268 grams
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon table salt
Fine-grained yellow cornmeal
Toss the flour, milk, cream and salt til soft and light. Form a disk and wrap with plastic, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Sprinkle a clean counter with cornmeal, with your hands, cover the outside of the dough with a light layer of cornmeal. Roll out the crust to be the size of the baking dish plus about an inch. Arrange in the baking dish, then the extra dough hanging over the side to the inside and pinch to form an attractive edge. If the filling is ready, great, otherwise freeze until ready.
FILLING
2 tablespoons butter
3 medium brown-skinned yellow onions (which brown better), chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cream
4 ounces Parmesan, grated or even just roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional
In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium until shimmery. Add the onions and stir to coat with fat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions turn golden and then brown. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 425F.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the milk, cream, Parmesan and thyme. Turn in the cooled onions. Turn the mixture into the prepared crust. Bake for 15 minutes.
Turn the heat down to 325F, bake for about 25 minutes or until the center is set and crust golden and crusty.
TO PREP AHEAD
DAY BEFORE Make the dough and refrigerate. Cook the onions and refrigerate.
DAY OF Roll out the dough and, if need be, refrigerate. Mix the egg mixture and refrigerate. Just before baking, preheat the oven, combine the onion and egg mixtures and turn into the pie crust. Bake and serve.
MORE VEGETARIAN ENTRÉE RECIPES
~ Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash, Chard & Cheddar ~
~ Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash & Mushrooms ~
~ 2009 collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes ~
~ Savory Bread Pudding with Butternut Squash, Chard & Cheddar ~
~ Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash & Mushrooms ~
~ 2009 collection of Thanksgiving vegetable recipes ~
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© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2009
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