Caramelised Onion And Mushroom Tarte Tatin

I made this dish last week for one of our vegetarian meals and it was delicious. Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to writing about it.

The onions took a little while to caramelise, but once the filling was prepared the rest of the cooking didn't take too long at all. Using frozen puff pastry made it really quick and really quite light. If you had the time, you could make your own pastry, which would make it a bit more special and a bit richer.

I used my gorgeous red Emile Henry tarte tatin dish, but you could use any ovenproof frypan or even a round cake tin if you didn't have anything else suitable to put in the oven.

The recipe came from a mushroom cookbook called 'Mushrooms - The Great All-Rounder' which was put out by the Australian Mushroom Growers Association. This recipe book contains lots of great recipes using mushrooms as one of the main ingredients. Some recipes are vegetarian, others have a meat component. The one thing in common is that they are all quite easy and look delicious!

This tarte tatin was lovely as a light meal with a rocket, pear and parmesan salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing. Next time I make it, I think I'll dot a bit of soft goat's curd or thin slices of brie over the top of the tarte when I turn it out. I think that the extra creaminess and acidity would be perfect.

Give this recipe a try. It looks great and tastes even better!

Caramelised Onion and Mushroom Tarte Tatin

4 onions, halved and thinly sliced

50g butter

1 Tbs olive oil

2 tsp brown sugar

300g swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 Tbs thyme leaves

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

50g goat's curd or brie (optional)

Rocket, pear and parmesan salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.

Place onions in a large bowl, cover loosely with a lid and microwave for 3 minutes, or until softened.

Heat the butter and oil in a tarte tatin dish or large oven proof frypan until bubbling.

Add the onions and sugar and cook until lightly golden.

Add the mushrooms, thyme and vinegar and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Evenly spread the onion and mushroom mixture over the base of the pan and gently lay the pastry over the top, tucking the edges in.

Place the dish or frypan in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden and the filling bubbling.

Carefully turn the tarte onto a large serving plate and serve to the table whole.

If you are using the cheese, place blobs of the goat's curd or thin slices of the brie over the hot tarte to slightly melt with the remaining heat.

To serve, cut the tarte into generous wedges and serve with the salad.

Enjoy!

And To Drink....

Mushrooms and pinot go together like a horse and carriage, so this is an obvious match. I'm sure we drank a pinot with this dish, but I completely forgot to take a picture of it! Oops!

Choose a pinot from the Yarra Valley or Mornigton Peninsula that is young and fruity with just a little bit of funkiness. The sweetness of the onions overpowers the earthiness of the mushrooms to some extent, so you don't really want a wine that has too much of the forest floor characteristics.

If you make this dish, let me know what you choose to drink with it and how it matches. :-)