Caramelized Spring Onion Tarte Tatin

Here’s to new beginnings, rosy thoughts of traveling again, and all the sweet, tender, precious produce at the market these days.

As I write this, things are looking up; they’re even cheers worthy. I’ve been able to clink real glasses with more friends in person lately, and since I’m a cook who cooks based on my moods (and my stomach's own demanding mood), I’ve been able to think about cooking for them again. Which has left me wondering: What should I be making for my pals now that I'm starting to see them more often? Something easily shareable, impressive without the fuss, and most importantly, delicious.

To me, that means a version of tarte tatin, a French upside-down dessert that’s inverted after baking to reveal caramelized apples on a golden brown flakey puff pastry. Ditching the traditional apples because, hey, this is an untraditional year and apple season is over, I’ve opted for spring onions, the smaller, green-topped seasonal versions of the kitchen mainstay. 

While this caramelized spring onion tart is sweet, it’s also savory. I salt the caramel and season it with thyme, vinegar, and Dijon mustard to give it a bit of umami. After the tart gets sliced up, I grate Parmesan on top before serving to highlight the savory side of this spring-y affair. 

It’s not sounding much like dessert anymore, and that’s the plan. It’s more of an all-day appetizer with a main dish flair. And it’s totally shareable. Bring it as a snack to the park in slices, or keep it at home to have for dinner, brunch, or whatever with a side salad. Onions are naturally sweet, like apples, so they work in many applications with other sweet things, just as apples can work so well in savory dishes. If we’re okay with roasted applesauce aside pork chops, it seems fair game to put onions in a tart tatin.

[tasty-recipe id="6244"]