Red onion tarte tatin with goat’s cheese: A savoury take on the classic French dessert

Paul Ainsworth was inspired to recreate this dish after spending a day at Marco Pierre White’s former restaurant, Mirabelle.

“This became the very first vegetarian dish I put on the first menu I ever wrote for [Cornwall restaurant] No6. I finished it with some roasted hazelnuts and crisp, fresh watercress. It was a winner, even with guests who weren’t vegetarian.

“It also works with small white onions and large shallots. You can get creative with carrots, parsnips, turnips and celeriac, too.”

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 large red onions, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces with the root left on

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

100g sheet of ready-made puff pastry

15g unsalted butter

40g hazelnuts, peeled

8 slices of goat’s cheese (my favourite is Dorstone)

20g watercress, picked and washed

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

For the balsamic caramel:

60g caster sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

25g cold unsalted butter, diced

Method:

1. To make the balsamic caramel, take a small ovenproof frying pan (around 20 centimetres) and melt the sugar over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. This is called a direct caramel; the temperature will reach 160C if using a sugar thermometer.

2. Remove from the heat and, with extreme care, add the balsamic vinegar, which will bubble. Stir to cool, then add the diced, cold butter, bit by bit, to form a velvety butterscotch. Set aside.

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3. Preheat the oven to 200C fan.

4. In a bowl, season the sliced red onions with sea salt, a pinch of black pepper and the thyme leaves. Now place the red onions on top of the balsamic caramel, until the pan is completely full.

5. Take a plate, slightly bigger than the tarte frying pan, and place it on top of the sheet of puff pastry, then cut around the plate to create a circle of pastry.

6. Carefully place the pastry circle on top of the red onions and gently press all the way around to seal, tucking in the red onions. Make a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking.

7. Bake for 55 minutes, checking every 15 minutes or so, until the pastry is crisp. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool for at least 20 minutes.

8. Take a small frying pan and place over a medium–high heat. Add the butter and melt until foaming, then add the hazelnuts and keep them moving in the butter until they are glistening and golden. Season with sea salt. Drain onto kitchen paper, then roughly chop them, leaving them chunky and funky.

9. Before serving, place the roasted red onion tarte Tatin back in the oven for a few minutes to loosen the caramel and warm through.

10. Turn out onto a board or plate. Place the slices of goat’s cheese on top, followed by the chopped hazelnuts and crisp watercress. Finish with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

‘For The Love Of Food’ by Paul Ainsworth (Pavilion Books, £26).