When it starts to get chilly out, there's nothing like a warm, bubbly tart to fill your belly. Having no crust, the creamy onion and mushroom filling in these tarts caramelizes beautifully in a hot oven. Add to that some fresh thyme and salty capers, and you've got yourself some very special tarts. Serve for dinner with a side of greens.
Caramelized Onion, Caper, and Mushroom Tart [Vegan]
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 1 1/3 cups flour (white or whole grain, whichever you prefer)
- 1/3 cup vegan butter
- A cup of ice cold water
- A pinch of ground sea salt
For the Filling:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 brown or white onions, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons capers (pickled and/or brined), roughly chopped
- 10.5 ounces mushrooms, finely sliced
- 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons non-sweet vegan cream (such as cashew cream)
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 0.5 ounces fresh thyme leaves
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation
To Make the Pastry:
- This recipe makes two tarts.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with a pinch of salt, then rub in the butter with your fingertips. You'll get a mixture that looks like bread crumbs. To this, add some cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing and pressing the dough together with your hands as you do. You will not need all the water, just enough to form a smooth, pliable dough.
- Tip the pastry out onto a clean, floured surface and roll out with a rolling pin to a thin, even sheet. Press carefully into the tart dishes, trim, and refrigerate while you make the filling.
To Make the Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 435°F. Heat up the olive oil in a large frying pan. Over a medium-high heat fry the garlic and onion with the sugar until golden and caramelized, stirring frequently.
- Add the capers and mushrooms and continue frying. Once the mushrooms are fully cooked, add the cream and the thyme leaves (reserving a few to top the tarts), and cook for a further 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour and stir till thickened. Season to taste and stir again. Take off the heat and remove your pastry cases from the refrigerator.
To Make the Tarts:
- Spoon the hot mushroom filling into the tart cases. Bake for 10 minutes, then another 20 minutes or so at 390°F, or until the tarts are caramelized on top.
- Top the tarts with more thyme and serve hot or leave to cool and refrigerate.
Notes
Makes two tarts.
Nutritional Information
Total Calories: 2091 | Total Carbs: 172 g | Total Fat: 137 g | Total Protein: 38 g | Total Sodium: 1372 g | Total Sugar: 19 g Note: The information shown is based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I made this tonight and it was very tasty. One thing though: half an ounce of fresh time is a LOT, and I didn\’t have that much so I used about 1 tablespoon of fresh and about a tsp of dried. I wonder if that was a typo? My tart had a very strong taste of thyme so I shouldn\’t want to use any more. Otherwise it was delicious!