Shallot Tarte Tatin
Caramelized Shallot Tarte Tatin turns a handful of shallots and a sheet of puff pastry into something unexpectedly special ~ sweet-savory, buttery, crisp, and gorgeous when you flip it out of the pan.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 10" oven safe skillet or frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator overnight.
- 1 Tbsp flour, for rolling out the pastry
- 1 lb medium shallots
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
- salt
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar*
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp butter
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- creme fraiche, for serving , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- On a lightly floured surface, rollout the puff pastry and cut it out into a circle a bit wider than the bottom of your pan. Lay it out on a plate or a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to bake.
- Peel the shallots and slice them in half lengthwise, from root to tip. (You can slice them in quarters if they're very large.) Melt the 1 Tbsp olive oil or butter in your pan, then remove the pan from the heat and arrange the shallots cut side down to fit the entire bottom, Fit them in as snugly as you can. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Cover and cook the shallots over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes.Then remove the cover and add a splash of water (about 2 tablespoons) and continue cooking for a few more minutes. They should be starting to soften and turn a light golden brown on the bottom. Note: keep your heat at medium, you don't want to scorch the shallots.
- Gently remove the shallots from the pan, doing your best to keep them intact, and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt together the 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp butter, and 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar*(see notes below about why I used a combination of balsamic and red wine vinegar). Cook for a minute or two until bubbling and starting to thicken.
- Remove your pan from the heat, and carefully add the shallots back to the pan, placing them cut side down again, and nestling them closely together.
- Cut a couple of small vents in the center of your puff pastry circle, and carefully lay it on top of the shallots, tucking any excess dough under. Be very careful as your pan will be hot.
- Bake for about 25-35 minutes until the puff pastry is puffed, a rich golden brown, and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for just a minute (no longer!) before inverting.
- Use a blunt knife to go around the edges to ensure that the crust is not stuck to the side of the skillet.I like to use a flat platter (if you don't have a flat platter you can use the back of a baking sheet. )Place the plate or sheet pan over the top of your skillet.Using oven mitts, hold onto both the skillet and the plate firmly and, with one swift, confident move, flip the whole unit over.Lay everything down on the counter and then carefully lift the skillet straight up and away.If you have anything stuck to the skillet you can carefully pry it loose and patch your tart.
- Allow the tart to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving warm with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves and a dollop of creme fraiche.
- The tart is wonderful warm, but just as delicious at room temperature.
Notes
Adapted from Food & Wine.
I used a mixture of balsamic and red wine vinegar because my balsamic vinegar was very thick and syrupy, and I didn't want the end result to be too sweet. If you have a balsamic vinegar that is on the thinner/more acidic side, I would go ahead and use it for all three tablespoons of vinegar in this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 slice · Calories: 253 kcal · Carbohydrates: 27 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 15 g · Saturated Fat: 4 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g · Trans Fat: 0.1 g · Cholesterol: 4 mg · Sodium: 96 mg · Potassium: 218 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 8 g · Vitamin A: 46 IU · Vitamin C: 5 mg · Calcium: 28 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.