27 June 2011

Sarah Raven's Shallot Tatin

I've adapted this slightly from Sarah Raven's recipe in her lovely Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook which is just one of the nicest presents I've ever received. I must have had it for three or so years and I still read through it and find new things I want to try out. I really like making tarts, pies and quiches for Saturday lunch and this looked like a great twist on an old favourite. As I said I've amended it slightly...

SHALLOT TATIN
Serves 4-6

500g shallots, I used big sweet ones but any will do
250g Camembert, ideally some that's been left out of the fridge and cut into thickish slices
40g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
500g puff pastry
salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6/ 400F. You will need an ovenproof pan or frying pan. Not a very big one though - you want the onions to fit quite snugly in it.

1. Peel the shallots but leave them whole. Cook the shallots in boiling water for 8-10 minutes, drain and leave to one side.

2. In your ovenproof pan heat the butter and oil and, when the butter has melted, sprinkle over the sugar and allow it to dissolve gently before adding the shallots.

cooking shallots
My Shallot's looking like squid
3. Cook the shallots until they are a rich golden caramel colour. This takes longer than you think - I found about 15-20 minutes was fine. Remove the onions from the heat and start rolling the pastry.

4. You want to roll the pastry out to be slightly bigger than the pan and round. If you are using shop bought pastry it will probably come in a square so roll it out and then cut it in a circle as you trim it down to the right size for your pan.


5. Spread the slices of cheese over the shallots and then lay the pastry on top, pushing the sides down slightly.

6. Bake the tart for about 25 minutes until it is golden and risen.



7. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then, very carefully place a plate on top and flip the pan over very quickly. You may need to ease a spatula around the tart slightly first to loosen it.

Inverting the tatin - I got my Mumma to do it!


8. This is great with salads for a tasty lunch - looks impressive too but is surprisingly easy to make.

Sarah Raven's Shallot tatin
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