Tomato and caramelised onion Tarte Tatin

Traditionally made with apples as a gorgeous dessert, a Tarte Tatin combines fruit caramelised in butter and sugar with flaky pastry. Baked upside-down, the pastry goes beautifully crisp while the fruit softens and the juices create a delicious sauce with the caramel.

This tomato tarte tatin made a wonderful lunch dish, with the tomatoes most definitely the star, showing off their natural sweetness. To assemble this tomato tarte tatin took very little time at all, making it a nice easy meal to prepare when having guests for lunch.

Yum

Tomato and caramelised onion Tarte Tartin

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 brown onions, cut into quarters then sliced thinly
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
800g cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100g feta, cut into small cubes
5 fresh basil leaves
2 brown onions, caramelised as above
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sheets of flaky pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten to egg wash the pastry
extra basil leaves to garnish

Instructions

First, caramelise the onions. For convenience I caramelised my onions the day before I made the tarte and I found it worked well. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the sliced onion. Cook gently for around 20 minutes. Its important to cook the onions without them taking on any colour. They should be very soft and translucent and will start to smell quite sweet rather than 'oniony'. Add the brown sugar and cook for 3 more minutes. Set aside.
To make the tarte tatin in a 30 cm flan dish preheat your oven to 200C. Lightly grease a flan dish.
If using frozen pastry, allow it to defrost at room temperature. Measure the pastry against your chosen dish to make sure you have enough to completely cover the size of the dish. You want enough to cover the dish with an extra couple of centimetres around the edge to tuck in. I always find I have to join two sheets together to get the right size. To do this, rough up the two edges you are going to join with a fork, then lay one over the top of the other and press down and smooth with your fingers.
Place the butter, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar in a frypan and cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the butter has melted and the mixture has bubbled for a moment. Remove from the heat and add in your tomatoes. Stir well to coat the tomatoes in the glaze, and then transfer them to your flan dish. Pack the tomatoes in tightly, without bursting any.
Sprinkle over the cubed feta, poking cubes into any gaps between the tomatoes. Roughly tear the basil leaves and sprinkle over. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread the caramelised onions over the tomatoes (I found it was easiest just to use my fingers for this), and then lay your pastry sheet over the top. Tuck in. It doesn't have to look perfect because this will become the bottom of your dish. Poke a couple of small holes in the pastry to act as vents. Brush with the egg wash.
Bake for around 30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed.
Remove from the oven and let it sit for at least 30 minutes until the dish is cool enough to handle. Using two tea-towels or oven mitts, pick up the dish and lay it in one hand. Gently place your other hand on the pastry and holding the pastry carefully, gently tip it over the sink, pouring off any excess juice that has formed while the tarte has been cooking. The tarte will now sit quite happily until you're ready to serve it.
When ready to serve, check that the pastry hasn't stuck to the side of your dish. If it has, gently loosen it with a sharp knife. Now this bit always makes me very nervous, but even if your tarte breaks during flipping, it will still taste amazing. Lay your serving platter or a large plate over the pastry. Place one hand on your serving platter and one on the bottom of the flan dish. Quickly flip them over to release the tarte. You'll need to be quick and careful because some juices may run out.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately otherwise the pastry may go soggy.