Blue cheese and sweet onion tart

Name: Blue cheese and sweet onion tart
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 150 g (5oz) plain flour; 150 g (5oz) butter; 125 g (4oz) grated Parmesan; cheese; pinches pinch cayenne pepper; 4 egg; 175 g (6oz) onion; 2 tsp. caster sugar; 225 g (8oz) fresh spinach or 125g (4oz) frozen leaf spinach; salt, ground black pepper and a grating of nutmeg; 450 mL (15 fl oz (¾ pint)) double cream; 175 g (6oz) soft blue cheese such as Dolcelatte, Roquefort, Bleu d’Auvergne or Lanark Blue; fresh baby spinach leaves to garnish

Enjoy the creamy filling of melted cheese and caramelised onions in this triple-tested tart. Serve for lunch, supper, or thinly sliced as a starter.

By The GH Kitchen TeamPublished: 29 March 1996

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Cuisine, Food, Ingredient, Dish, Recipe, Fast food, Finger food, Baked goods, Teal, Garnish,

Preparation Notes: plus chilling

Cooking Notes: plus cooling

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Yields:

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

1 hr 15 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 35 mins

Ingredients

150 g (5oz) plain flour
150 g (5oz) butter
125 g (4oz) grated Parmesan
cheese
pinches pinch cayenne pepper
4 egg
175 g (6oz) onion
2 tsp. caster sugar
225 g (8oz) fresh spinach or 125g (4oz) frozen leaf spinach
salt, ground black pepper and a grating of nutmeg
450 ml (15 fl oz (¾ pint)) double cream
175 g (6oz) soft blue cheese such as Dolcelatte, Roquefort, Bleu d’Auvergne or Lanark Blue
fresh baby spinach leaves to garnish

Directions

1. Step 1
  In a processor, blend the flour with 125g (4oz) butter until they form fine crumbs. Add the Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper and 1 egg yolk, reserve the egg white. Blend until the mixture begins to form a crumbly clough. Turn out on to a floured surface, knead lightly, wrap and chill.
2. Step 2
  Finely chop the onion. Melt the remaining butter in a small frying pan and cook the onions very slowly with the sugar for at least 20min or until the onions are very soft and a golden colour.
3. Step 3
  Wash and cook the spinach in a saucepan with just the water which still clings to the spinach leaves for 2—3min or until the leaves have just wilted. Drain and squeeze out any excess moisture. Chop the leaves roughly. Squeeze the moisture from the frozen spinach, if using. Season the spinach well with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Whisk together the cream and remaining whole eggs. Season. Crumble the cheese, leaving some of the pieces quite large.
4. Step 4
  Line a 23cm (9in) flan tin with the pastry and chill again for 30min. Line the base and sides of the tin with foil to cover completely. Make a steam hole in the centre of the foil and place some baking beans around the edge to keep the sides of the pastry up. Cook at 200°C (400°F) mark 6 for about 20-25min or until the pastry looks dry. Remove the foil and beans and return to the oven to cook for a further 5min. Brush the pastry with the reserved egg white (don’t worry if there are any cracks in the pastry as the egg white will seal up any holes that appear!). Return the flan tin to the oven to cook for a further 3—5min.
5. Step 5
  Spoon the onion mixture into the flan. Scatter over the cheese and spinach and finally pour on the egg mixture. Cook at 170°C (325°F) mark 3 for about 50min or until the filling is lightly set. Cool the tart in the tin for 15min before serving, garnished with the fresh baby spinach leaves.
  
  To prepare ahead: Complete to the end of step 4 the day before required. Cover and chill everything separately.
  
  To use: Continue from step 5.
  
  Try more triple-tested recipes:
  
  The best vegetarian recipes
  
  Special vegetable tarts
  
  Tomato tarts with feta cheese
  
  15 of the best celebration recipes
  
  Cauliflower cheese

Cook's tip

If you make and freeze the pastry case in advance, this tart is very quick to finish on the day. Be careful not to overcook it – the mixture should still have a little wobble when it s removed from the oven.

Per Serving:

Calories: 670

The GH Kitchen Team

The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor ⁠Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce ⁠Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time