Recipe: German Onion Tart

Onion tart is served in the southern part of Germany at wine festivals. To achieve the perfect flavour use smoked speck, rather than bacon.

German Onion Tart

Ingredients
Pastry
40 g cold butter, diced
40 g cold lard, diced (or replace with butter)
175 g plain flour
50 ml iced water
½ tsp salt
Filling
350 g onions (2 medium onions)
70 g smoked speck, rind removed, cut into 5 mm dice
40 g Gruyere cheese, grated
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
1 egg
1½ tbsp plain flour
½ tsp salt
pinch white pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch paprika

Instructions
To make the dough, combine butter, lard and flour in a bowl. Use your hands to rub in the butter and lard into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water and salt, quickly knead until smooth. Roll out dough on a lightly floured bench. Grease a 24 cm round tart tin. Ease the pastry into the tin so it comes up the sides and press into corners. Trim pastry to top of tin and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To make the filling, preheat the oven to 190ºC. Cut onions in half and then in 3 mm slices. Fry the smoked speck in a non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Add onions, reduce heat to low and fry until softened and fragrant. Remove speck and onions from the pan and set aside to cool. Add cheese and mix well. Pour the onion and speck mixture onto the pastry.

Combine milk, cream, egg and flour in a bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine, then add salt, white pepper, nutmeg and paprika. Pour milk mixture over the onions and speck and bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through.