Shallot and Rosemary-Onion Jam Tarte Tatin

ARRGGHH!

What do you cook when you've already done the (minimal) shopping because you leave for Greece in a few days (its cool, I know your jealous, you'll have to deal with it yourself), and then you remember that you've promised to make dinner for your host mum's very important colleague... Tomorrow night?

Its got to impress. Its got to be suitably low-key chic. It can't be complicated, because you've already got the whole day booked with other things to do and can't go shopping again.

Its got to be a tart tatin....

Now, I guess the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a tarte tatin is apples. And horrible demanding pastry methods, and exact caramalisation time limits. Boo to that complicated racket and hurrah for its easy savoury counterpart.

This takes almost no-time and effort to make, looks great, and may I say, tastes pretty fucking delish. Seriously. I never knew shallots were complex in taste, but trust me brothers and sisters, those bad boys are full of surprises.

What isn't surprising is that seconds are non-negotiable.

Shallot and Onion Jam Tarte Tatin

Ingredients-

Tarte + Filling-

1 sheet of puff pastry

30ml olive oil

28 (approximately!) small shallots (I used less because mine were monster-sized)

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of butter

25ml of red wine vinegar

Onion Jam-

a glug of olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tablespoon of unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

2 Spanish onions, very thinly sliced

a large sprig of rosemary, leaves detached and finely chopped

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar

Method-

Onion Jam-

Heat olive oil medium sized saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic, cooking for 5 or so minutes until they begin to caramelise.

Add the butter and rosemary and continue to leave to caramelise for another 10 minutes.

Mix together the vinegar and sugar in a small bowl, then pour over the onions, stirring regularly for 3 minutes.

Set to low heat and leave to simmer for around 35 minutes or until the consistency is thick...and jammy.

Tarte + Filling-

Preheat your oven to 190°C and butter a 20cm cake tin.

Peel the shallots, cutting those too big into halves or thirds lengthwise.

Heat the oil in a deep, wide pan (is it just me or does that sound way too dirty?) over medium-high heat then add the shallots, cooking for around 8 minutes until golden on the outsides.

Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes, then add the butter.

Cook for 5 minutes or until they are a deep caramel colour, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to low, then add the vinegar and leave to soften for 20 minutes.

Pour the shallots into the bottom of the cake tin, arranging them so that they are a little bit heaped in the middle, but also so that there are no real gaps until the sides of the tin. Add the onion jam on top.

Gently place the pastry to lie over the top, then tuck the pastry around the sides of the base, to hold the mixture. Leave any remaining pastry that is hanging upwards after the tuck, because it caramelises and becomes deliciously handsome.

Bake for 15 minutes or until nice and golden on top and sturdy. Run a knife around the edges after leaving to cool for 5 minutes, then flip onto a serving plate and look with pride at your gorgeous tarte tatin!