Transforming Pastry Leftovers into a Flavorful Caramelized Onion Tart – Quick Recipe

This particular method presents a fast interpretation on the French onion tart, turning a small amount of pastry scraps into a quick delicacy. Store and collect any leftovers into a round mass and use again whenever needed. Pastry keeps well in the freezer compartment, and by omitting two lengthy steps in the standard recipe – making the pastry and caramelizing the onions – this version is ready about an hour faster. Instead, the onions are cooked flipped, cooking and browning beneath a layer of pastry with salted fish and brined olives for a quick, enjoyable variation on a traditional French dish. And if you have less pastry, you can always reduce the recipe.

Fast Flipped Pissaladière Tarts

The recent trend of upside-down tarts, which spread quickly on social media and Instagram a couple of years ago, may have originated with a tasty and straightforward sweet pastry creation or an motivational onion tart that even inspired a whole book on inverted recipes. Additionally, I have been having a lot of fun with cooking upside down recently, from an lengthy vegetable pastry to these speedy mini French tarts. It’s a easy, playful way to create something that appears especially impressive.

Makes 4 individual tarts

  • 1 sweet onion
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Kosher salt and peppercorns
  • 8 small fillets (or 4, for a less intense taste profile)
  • Dark pitted olives, to taste
  • 120g dough – flaky or firm can be used as well

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Peel and prepare the onion, then chop into four large, round slices. Prepare a heat-resistant cookie sheet with baking paper, then imagine where you will position each slice of onion. Drizzle those areas with olive oil and honey, then season. Place two small fish on top of each flavored spot and top them with a slice of onion. Arrange a few olives inside and beside the onions, then add with a additional olive oil, sweetener, seasoning and black pepper.

Switch on two side-by-side hob rings to a medium heat, put the sheet on top of the rings and leave the onions to heat untouched for 5 minutes.

At the same time, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the sheets and cut it into four squares sufficiently sized to top each slice of onion. Carefully put one pastry rectangle on top of each round of onion, flatten along the sides with the reverse of a fork, then heat for a short while, until the pastry is crispy. Set a serving platter on top of the baking sheet, then flip to invert the tarts on to the surface. Gently remove the paper and serve.

Jennifer Owens
Jennifer Owens

A passionate food writer and chef from Udine, sharing insights on Italian cuisine and local gastronomy.