Saturday, October 20, 2012

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful zucchini dish, but I must tell you up front that there are two parts to this recipe and neither of them is quick to do. Now that you've been warned, I must also tell you that while the two recipes are not hard to make, they both are time consuming and require a lot of chopping. Are you still with me? The recipes come from Cooking Light and the tart makes a wonderful brunch, luncheon or light dinner entree. The work starts with caramelizing onions. Fortunately, the onions can be made several days before you plan to use them, and that helps reduce any last minute stress that might occur as the tart is put together. Once the onions are ready to go, you are free to move on to the second stage of this creation. There's nothing difficult here, save for the slicing of the zucchini, and once that's done the tart comes together quickly. The finished tart is beautiful and, while I won't make it often,  this recipe has gone into my brunch rotation. This is the kind of dish I like to serve to friends who are also good cooks. While leftover onions can be used for soup or for roast beef and blue cheese subs, the tart does not hold up well. It can, of course, be eaten, but it gets soggy and the texture seems to change if it sits too long. I hope my effort to be honest hasn't frightened you away. Here's the recipe for the brave among you.

Basic Caramelized Onions...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
12 cups vertically sliced yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and butter; swirl until butter melts. Add onion and salt; cook 15 minutes or until onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 50 minutes or until very tender, stirring occasionally. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until browned and caramelized, stirring frequently. Yield: 2 cups.

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Tart...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Cooking Light magazine

Ingredients:

Pie dough for a 10-inch pie or tart pan
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices zucchini
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Basic Caramelized Onions
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1-1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2) Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit dough into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate or quiche pan. Fold edges under and flute. Line dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove weights and foil and bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3) Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
4) Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add zucchini and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and sauté for 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly.
5) Arrange Basic Caramelized Onions over bottom of crust and top with zucchini mixture. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, milk, flour, pepper, eggs, and cheese in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over zucchini mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 6 servings.








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13 comments :

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

Hi Mary,

I don't think I'm as brave as you to try out this one.

Wishing you a lovely weekend!
Duncan.

Diane said...

This sounds wonderful, you keep giving me these wonderful ideas and I am trying to keep up with them all. This sounds a good dish for tomorrow. Thanks once again. Have a good weekend. Diane

Cuina La Peladilla said...

Fantastic, besos.

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I think this would be a refreshing alternative to tradition as a Thanksgiving side.

StephenC said...

This can be sped up by using a mandoline to slice the zucchini and the onions. Then microwave the zukes and garlic for 2 min. (stirring after 1). In any case, a quiche of this sort is a welcome addition to any brunch or lunch.

From the Kitchen said...

This looks so delicious that I will not let your forewarnings affect me in the pursuit of the pie!!

Best,
Bonnie

KimH said...

I work outside the home M-F, but this is sooo a chilly weekend recipe for me to look forward to. And if I have leftover onions, I'll make a bowl or two of French Onion soup to go with it...
I am sooo going to try this and SOON!! My taste-buds are swooning. ;)

France@beyondthepeel said...

The only thing better than a tart, any tart is a tart with caramelized onions. Yummers.

Astra Libris said...

Oh my this looks divine! Totally worth the steps!

Catherine said...

Dear Mary, A beautiful tart. Blessings dear. Catherine xoxo

Joanne said...

What a gorgeous tart! I can't believe I haven't come across it on the Cooking Light website yet. Definitely seems like something I would love.

april said...

Looks so good that I'm trying it right now, my crust is in the oven. Thanks for the recipe.

The Single Nester said...

Zucchini. Onions. Two of my favorite things.

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