French Onion Tarte Tatin 🧅

Was inspired on putting a twist on this classic after a recent trip to @thecloveclub, recipe below!

Onion Jam Method

Melt about a tablespoon or so of butter into a pan
Add your sliced onions and allow to caramelize and get color, without moving them around so much.
When they begin a fond on the bottom of the pan add a little water to deglaze and bring those flavors into the onions and then further cook until liquid evaporates; repeat
Do this until the onions are a dark caramelized complexion and just before they’re finished, the final addition of liquid should be a little beef stock or even some sherry vinegar.
I personally like to deglaze with some sherry, season with salt, a few sprigs of thyme and some fresh cracked pepper
Set aside for later or keep chilled in the fridge

Pie Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) sliced

2 tbsp milk

1 egg

Combine the sugar, salt, and milk into a bowl.
Add in the egg and slowly blend in the dough.
Add the butter, pulse until the butter is broken down and blended well into the mixture.
Split into two discs and keep chilled

*When rolling out the dough, I like to do this ahead of time and keep it chilled in the freezer, having a stiffer dough is better to handle and helps prevent the butter from softening too much before the bake. I like to make little ridges around the outside, like a pizza crust, to help hold it all in when it bakes. I also dock the dough to help with even cooking

To assemble…

Butter the bottom of a stainless steel or cast iron pan
Dust evenly with about 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lay the onion wedges on top, yellow, Spanish, sweet; doesn’t matter just stay away from white onions
Once the bottom of your pan is starting to caramelize, lay down the onion jam. You may need to move the pan around the heat to ensure even caramelizing
I then added a good handful or grated smoked gruyere
Season with a little salt and some fresh thyme
Throw the pie crust on top, make a few air vents and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate
Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing!