Rustic, But Not Humble: Caramelized Onion & Emmental Galette

To be honest, I am not 100% sure that this savory bundle of gooey cheese and sweet onions, encased in a flavorful herbed crust,  can properly be called a galette. Some say that a galette is a round, flat cake, which this is not; others define it as a free-form tart, which this clearly is. But, to paraphrase Shakespeare,  a rustic tart by any other name would taste as good.

As many of the best things are, this is a simple dish with relatively few ingredients. It's a perfect picnic food, and it would make a beautiful addition to a Mother's Day brunch. I mixed dried fines herbes - a blend of  parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, and marjoram  -  into the dough, which worked well with the olive and walnut oils I used instead of butter. The nuttiness of the walnut oil was an addictive contrast to the sweet caramelized onions.  I'm ashamed to admit that I could have eaten this whole thing in one sitting!

Rustic Onion & Cheese Tart

For the Filling:

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

6 ounces Emmental cheese, grated

dash of balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper, to taste

 

For the Dough:

 1 cup organic AP flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup spelt flour

1 heaping tsp dried fines herbes

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup walnut oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in the butter, oil, and a pinch or two of salt. Put the heat on low and allow the onions to cook, stirring occasionally, until they're caramelized - about 45 minutes. Keep the heat low and don't let them brown! When they're nearly finished, add a dash of balsamic. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, remove from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, for the dough, mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and slowly add the water and oil, stirring to incorporate. Give the dough a few turns until it comes together in a smooth ball - if it's too dry add a bit more water, if it's too wet, add a bit of flour. Wrap the ball in plastic and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or so.  When you're ready, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 10 inch round. Transfer to parchment paper. Place half of the cheese in the center, with the onions on top, then cheese, followed by the onions, and so on:

Be careful not to overfill the tart. Next, fold the edges in, leaving part of the filling exposed:

Brush the dough with olive oil and top with a bit more cheese:

Slide the whole thing (on the parchment paper) onto a baking tray and bake at 375 until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly - about 30 - 40 minutes. Enjoy with a salad and a glass of wine.

Whether you have kids or pets or both, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!