French Onion and Bacon Tart
from
America's Test Kitchen
serves 6-8
Crust:
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour (6 1/4 oz)
1 T sugar
1/2 t table salt
8 T unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 1/2 inch cubes and well chilled
2-3 T ice water
Filling:
4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 lbs onions*, halved through the root end, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices (about 6 c) *yellow or white onions work well (stay away from sweet onions)
1 sprig fresh thyme
3/4 t table salt
2 large eggs
1/2 c half and half
1/4 t ground black pepper
1. For the crust: Spray a 9 inch tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor with four 1 second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture; pulse to cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse sand, about fifteen 1 second pulses. Add 2 T ice water and process until large clumps form and no powdery bits remain, about 5 seconds, adding up to 1 T more water if dough will not form clumps. Pat dough into greased tart pan. Lay plastic wrap over dough and smooth out any bumps or shallow areas. Transfer to freezer for 30 min.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place frozen tart shell on baking sheet. Lightly spray one side of 18 inch square heavy duty aluminum foil with non stick spray. Press foil, greased side down, inside tart shell, folding excess foil over edge of pan. Fill with pie weights and bake until top edge just starts to color and surface of dough under foil no longer looks wet, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully remove foil and weights, return to oven and bake another 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet.
3. For the filling: While crust is baking, cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp, 8-10 minutes. Drain bacon and transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Return 2 T bacon fat to skillet, adding vegetable oil to supplement if necessary.
4. Add onions, salt and thyme to skillet. Cover and cook until onions release liquid and start to wilt, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, covered, until onions are very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice (if after 15 minutes, onions look wet, remove lid and continue to cook another 5 minutes). Remove pan from heat and let onions cool 5 minutes.
5. Whisk eggs, half and half, and pepper together in large bowl. Remove thyme sprig from onions. Stir onions into egg mixture until just incorporated. Spread onion mixture over baked crust (still on baking sheet) and sprinkle bacon evenly on top.
6. Return baking sheet with tart to oven and bake until center of tart feels firm to touch, 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 10 minutes. When ready to serve, remove tart pan ring; gently slide thin bladed spatula between tart pan bottom and crust to loosen, then slide tart to serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve. Tart can be served warm or at room temperature. Leftovers can be reheated on a baking sheet in a 325 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.