Mini Onion Tarte Tatin with Truffles and Comté Sauce

Slofoodgroup Team April 27, 2022

Petit Onion Tarts with Black Truffles and Smoked Sea Salt 

Tarte Tatin is a pastry in which the filling, usually fruit, is caramelized in butter prior to baking in the oven covered in puff pastry. Like many delicious and  famous dishes, Tarte Tatin was created unintentionally and quickly became popular.

Traditionally made with apples, Tarte Tatin can be easily made savory with a simple switch—onions. Onions have higher sugar content as opposed to other vegetables, making them much easier to caramelize than other traditionally savory ingredients, which makes them the perfect savory substitution for this dish.

Feel free to mix and match your favorite onion varietals for a punch of sweet and tangy flavors. Enrich the sweetness of the onions with a silky smooth comté sauce and balance it by finishing with shaved black truffles and smoked sea salt.

Sliced or eaten whole, this savory twist on Tarte Tatin makes a great appetizer or snack.

Recipe for Savory Onion Tartlets with Comté Sauce and Black Truffles

Ingredients

For the Tarte Tatins:

• 2 red onions, cut into thick disks
• 2 shallots, cut in half
• 2 tablespoon butter + 4 tablespoon more for baking
• 1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

For the comté sauce:

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon white all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup shredded comté cheese
• Sea salt & white pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg

To serve:

• 1 preserved black truffle, thinly sliced
• pinch of smoked flake sea salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F.

2. Cut the red onion in 1.5 - 2 cm thick rounds and the shallots in half, lengthways from stem to root.

3. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a heavy-based frying pan over medium heat; add the red onion and fry gently for 10 minutes until soft and starting to caramelize; carefully remove and set aside.

4. Add another 1 tbsp of butter to the same pan and add the shallot halves, cut-side down and cook for 10 minutes or until soft and starting to caramelize; carefully remove and set aside.

5. Spread the remaining 4 tbsp of butter in between 8 tartlet pans and coat evenly.

6. Roll out the chilled puff pastry and cut circles to match the diameter of the tartlet pans; gently poke with a fork and set aside.

7. Assemble the mini tarts: layer the cooked onions onto the buttered pan; place the chilled puffed pastry on top, making sure the edges of the puff pastry don’t touch the pan.

8. Bake for 30 min. at 200°C/400°F or until the crust is golden brown.

9. While the tarts are baking, make the sauce: add the butter to a sauce pan over low heat and allow to melt; once melted add the flour and stir well; cook for 1 minute while stirring to avoid the flour burning; remove from heat and gradually incorporate the milk while stirring constantly with a whisk; bring back to heat and cook until the sauce thickens; add the cheese and season to taste.

10. Once the tarts are out of the oven, allow to slightly cool off, for about 5 minutes; once cool enough, place a plate on top and carefully flip the tarts.

11. Serve either cold or warm with the comté sauce on top and thinly sliced truffles.