- 8
Ingredients
- Tart Pastry:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup Crisco
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 tablespoons ice cold water (may take up to 6)
- Dijon mustard
- Onion Filling:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large red onions, halved vertically then thinly sliced
- 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 2 cups cream
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 small can diced green chilies (drained well) OR sliced Anaheim pepper thrown in with the onions
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère or Swiss Cheese
Preparation
Step 1
Pastry:
Place flour and salt into food processor. with machine running, drop in Crisco & cold butter. Pulse just until large pea sized clumps form. Add ice water incrementally, pulsing until just incorporated. Remove pastry; gather into ball using plastic wrap; seal well and chill in refrigerator 1 hour. Roll thinly, place in 11-inch tart pan. Bake at 400 degrees until light and just set. Brush with 1 tablespoon Dijon or spice/chipotle mustard and bake 5 more minutes to dry the mustard and waterproof the crust. Cool before filling.
Onion Filling:
Place butter in a large heavy skillet. Add onions; saute until they are very tender and beginning to brown, stirring often. Set aside and allow to cool.
Whisk eggs, cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, nutmeg and cayenne until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
(You can make the crust and caramelize the onions, shred the cheese and mix the filling the night before - refrigerate in separate containers overnight. then assemble and bake the next day).
Place half the shredded cheese on the bottom of the crust. Top with onions and chilies. Pour the egg/cream mixture over onions. Top with remaining cheese. Place pan on cookie sheet to catch any spills Place in preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 30 minutes or until done. (To test for doneness, insert knife 1-inch from edge of dish and if it comes out "clean" it is done.) set aside to cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.
To use a commercially prepared pie crust - partially pre-bake and "seal" the crust with the mustard. You can half the recipe to make one tart - or keep it as it is and make two out of the 9-inch pie crusts at the store. you can cover the edge of the crust to prevent over-browning while baking.