Caramelized Onion and Cheese Tart | Vegetarian Cheese and Onion Flan

cream cheese

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: ricotta cheese

Greek yogurt reduces calories while maintaining creaminess

gruyere cheese

🥗Healthier: fontina cheese

💰Cheaper: mozzarella cheese

Fontina provides similar meltability at a lower cost.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: pecorino cheese

Pecorino offers a similar flavor profile.

Chop onions into thin slices, about 5 mm or a quarter of an inch thick.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Once the butter is melted and covers the bottom of the pan, add the onions and stir.

Cook the onions for a few minutes until they begin to soften, then optionally cover with a lid to help them steam.

Stir the onions every few minutes to prevent burning, and cook for 45 to 60 minutes until they are deep golden brown and jammy.

In a bowl, combine 250 grams of plain all-purpose flour, 125 grams of cold butter chopped into cubes, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips.

Add cold water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture comes together into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C for a fan oven (180°C for a conventional oven).

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and fit it into a 23.5 cm (9.25 inches) flan tin, trimming the excess.

Prick the base of the pastry with a fork to prevent puffing up during blind baking.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking rice to weigh it down. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, carefully remove the rice and paper, and glaze the inside of the pastry with a beaten egg. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix 4 eggs, 250 grams of hard cheese (cheddar and grana padano), 100 grams of soft cheese, and 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add the caramelized onions and mix well.

If the mixture is too thick, add some milk to loosen it.

Fill the blind-baked pastry case with the filling, leaving some space for expansion, and top with slices of mozzarella.

Sprinkle with ground black pepper and bake for 30 minutes until set.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens