TUESDAY

French Onion Tart  |  Baby Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette

I feel the need for a vacation right now!  Maybe it is all this spring-like weather we are having, the switch back to daylight savings time or the simple human tendency of wanting what I can’t have.  Given the schedules for each member of this family, a vacation is currently impossible to fit in…so daydream I must!

If I could travel anywhere, at this very moment, it would be to Paris.  That lovely City holds fond memories for both Michael & I and it would be our destination of choice ~ Springtime in Paris!  For my 5-minute, daydream vacation, I head over to visit the Robertson’s at Obvious State and I am instantly transported {no long lines at airport security check-in} to the City of Light…

Please visit their shop at Etsy, The Paris Print Shop, to view these {and more} spectacular photos for purchase…As for me, it is time to head home to make dinner.

I made this evening’s dinner selection last week, well-before I was overcome with this vacation “thing”…some things just come together.  Tonight we enjoyed a French Onion Tart  a la New York City {instead of Paris}.  Deb at the Smitten Kitchen recently posted this and it fit our crazy afternoon schedule.  I was able to make the tart and grab it from the oven just before I left for the afternoon.  Wrapped in foil, it sat, patiently, waiting for us for dinner.  A couple of notes: {i} my favorite quiche/tart pan is a deep, 8-inch pan & that is what I used for this recipe and, {ii}  to make things easier on myself today, I used 2 prepared, organic, pie crusts from whole Foods, that I combined with the help of a rolling pin, to ensure adequate coverage of my deep pan.

French Onion Tart {adapted from The Smitten Kitchen}

• 2 prepared, organic frozen pie crusts {completely thawed}
• 4 medium yellow onions, halved & thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup beef broth {I did not use low-sodium beef broth but rather homemade}
• 2 tablespoons brandy {this was my mistake…the original recipe called for 2 teaspoons, but I really liked the end-flavor of my onions with the extra brandy}
• Ground white pepper to taste {original recipe used black pepper}
• 1 cup grated Gruyère {original recipe uses ½ cup but we love the cheese}
• 2 large eggs {original recipe only uses 1 but I was looking for more height because of my deep pan}
• 1 cup heavy cream {original recipe only uses ½ cup but I was looking for more height because of my deep pan}

{Note:  I did not add any salt whatsoever, as the taste of the dish did not require that addition…maybe because I used a strong, homemade beef broth instead of a low-sodium version}

1. Lightly butter an 8-inch deep quiche/tart pan with a removable base.  Combine thawed, prepared pie crusts together in a ball and roll -out with a rolling pin until is is roughly 11-12 inches in diameter.  Drop the dough into the prepared pan, lifting the sides to drape.  Press the dough the rest of the way in and up the sides.  Trim edges, which you can leave a bit long {above the edge of the tart pan} to give you some security against shrinkage.  Chill for 15 minutes in your freezer.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling.  Melt the butter & olive oil in a large, covered skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan, tossing them to coat with the butter & oil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover the pan.   Cook the onions for 15 minutes, then remove the lid & stir in the sugar.  Sauté without the lid for about 10-15 minutes, until the onions are fully caramelized & have taken on a deep golden color.  Pour in the brandy and the stock.  Turn the heat up to HIGH, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon.  Simmer the mixture until the broth almost completely disappears {be careful not to let the onions get too dry & burn}, about 5-10 minutes. {An important reminder from Deb…wetter onions will make for a wetter quiche}.  Season the mixture with a pinch of ground white pepper.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg & cream together.
4. Heat oven to 400°F.
5. Fill prepared tart shell with the onion mixture & pour egg-cream mixture over.  Sprinkle cheese over custard and bake 30 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the custard filling comes out clean when removed.  Serve hot or warm with lightly dressed greens.

The crust…

The onions…

The first layer, the fully-caramelized onions, {my beef broth was a rich, dark stock hence the deep brown coloring of the onion mixture}…

Top with the egg mixture and the grated cheese & then bake the quiche/tart until golden brown…

Serve with a mix of baby greens lightly dressed with a simple Dijon Vinaigrette.  The finished dinner plate…

One more thing…

This afternoon, Max had a basketball playoff game.  His team only lost one game this season & this afternoon they were playing the team they lost to earlier {for elimination}.  It was going to be a tough game & we thought his middle-school basketball career would end today {off to high school next year!}.  But…THEY WON {38-13}!!!!!!!!  This Thursday, they will play in the championship game…WOW!  Every once-in-a-while I will break out the chocolate for a celebration and, well, tonight, we felt like celebrating.  Heidi at 101 Cookbooks recently posted a French Glissade ~ Chocolate Pudding Recipe & I thought it would make the perfect celebratory treat tonight.  Simple & pure…it comes together so quickly. Ours chilled for just under 2 hours before being enthusiastically consumed by the children…a very special treat indeed!  And, in case you didn’t notice, it fit very well in to my French, daydream vacation…

Click here to visit 101 Cookbooks for the recipe {which I easily doubled for our gang}.  Heidi’s photos are beautiful but this is what ours looked like tonight…

By the way…you can click here for our favorite whipped cream recipe!

A Bientôt!