From the vault

For several years now, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival has been producing cookbooks featuring recipes ranging from vault classics to new enticements. As I’m not going to be able to attend and report from this year’s event, I thought it would be nice if I cooked and provided some of these recipes for those of you out there who, like me, find yourself dining vicariously at home. First up, France’s Onion Tart.

ONION TART

Ingredients:

1 Pound Yellow Onions (Thinly Sliced)
1 Sheet Puff Pastry (Thawed)
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 Teaspoon Coarse SaltDirections:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt, stirring to combine. Cook 15 minutes, or until onions are golden and very soft. Set aside to cool.

As onions cool, roll pastry into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Brush edges lightly with water and fold edges, creating a 1 ½-inch border. Press lightly with a fork to seal. Prick center of dough with a fork 15 times.

Place dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake pastry for 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Add cooled onions, stirring to combine. Carefully transfer onion-egg mixture to the center of the par-baked pastry. Return tart to over and bake for 15 minutes. Cool before slicing.

Some of the recipes from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival can seem complex, but this one is simple and straightforward. During preparation, my only recommendation is to make sure you get the fork all the way through the pastry dough before beginning the par-bake, or else you’ll have a pastry pillow! Elsewhere, I would advise you to cut onions in half before slicing, it will keep the onion from wobbling and the slices as thin as you can make them.As for taste, it is very buttery, with the terrific range of flavors that comes with really well prepared golden-caramelized onions. It does, however, make it a bit sweet. If I were doing some fine-tuning to the dish, I would assuredly add in a shock of pepper, perhaps even some white pepper, if you have it, to keep the cream to gold color scheme intact.

I highly recommend making this small bite at home, several of them would work wonders at as hors d’oeuvres at a dinner party. However, this dish is best served on a weekend when you have a friend visiting the current Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Why? Well, simply put you’ll be able to rub it in when they send you pictures of their food because this delicious dish is no longer available during the festival.