Welsh Sticky Onion Tart With Teifi Valley Cheese Recipes

CHEESE AND ONION TART

Steps:

• For crust: Preheat oven to 400F.
• Combine flour and salt and cut in butter and Crisco until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Add 3 tblsps ice water and combine until it forms a ball.
• Flatten into a 6 inch disk and chill it, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 1 hour.
• Roll out to 1/8 inch thick on lightly-floured surface and fit into a 9 inch tart pan.
• Trim edge and prick all over with a fork.
• Bake in middle of oven for 10 minutes.
• Let cool.
• Maintain oven temperature.
• For filling: Cook onion in butter over moderately-low heat until softened.
• Mash blue cheese with half and half and stir in eggs, Cheddar, onion and salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour into shell and bake for 10 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake 25 minutes longer.

A CLASSIC CHEESE AND ONION FLAN

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flour, butter (or butter and lard mix), and salt into a large, roomy mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles sand.
• Add the water a little at a time and bring the mixture together to create a soft dough.
• Form the pastry into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• While the pastry is resting, prepare the filling.
• Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan. Once melted, add the sliced onion and sauté over medium heat to soften (but not brown). Place the softened onion onto a dinner plate and leave to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F / 204 C. Roll the pastry to 5 millimeters thickness and line a greased, 10-inch loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill in the refrigerator while you make the remaining filling.
• Put the eggs into a large measuring jug and whisk them. Add the cooled onion, grated cheese, and parsley. Stir in the milk. Season with a little salt and black pepper.
• Take the pastry case from the refrigerator, place it on the middle shelf of the preheated oven, and carefully pour in the egg-cheese mixture until it is two-thirds full. Do not overfill as the flan will rise while cooking.
• Bake for 25 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and set, but not completely solid when gently pressed in the center.
• Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
• The flan is lovely warm but can also be eaten cold.

ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large skillet, melt butter and saute onions until soft. Remove from heat. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• Mix in eggs.
• Pour into prepared shell and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 20 minutes. Top with bacon, Can be served warm or cold.

WELSH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• Heat about a quarter of the butter in a large pan, set over a medium heat. Sweat the onions with a little salt and the rosemary sprig. Slowly cook on a gentle heat with a lid on for about 20 mins. Remove rosemary and set aside.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Peel the potatoes and immediately cut into wafer-thin slices directly into a bowl containing the rest of the warm butter. Season with salt and pepper. The thinner the potatoes, the better the dish will be. Do not wash them once they are sliced, as you want all of the starch to stick the potatoes together.
• Line an ovenproof, non-stick frying pan with a round of baking parchment. Layer potatoes neatly into the dish in a circle, slightly overlapping. The bottom of the pan will become the presentation side. Continue to pile in half of the potatoes, then add the melted onions. On top of the onions continue with the potatoes until all used up. Set the pan over a medium heat and gently begin to colour the bottom of the dish for 5 mins, then transfer to the oven and cook for 45-50 mins until the potatoes are soft.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 mins. Invert onto a serving plate, then slice into wedges with a very sharp knife.

WELSH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• First pre-heat your oven to around 180 degrees fan / Gas Mark 6. BUT, if you are already using your oven to roast your Sunday lunch, just maintain that temperature - this Welsh onion cake is hardy and can cope with whatever temperature you throw at it!
• Firstly slice all of your potatoes as thinly as you can (but don't worry yourself too much if they are a bit thick - I don't use a mandolin or anything like that). I don't peel my potatoes either - it's up to you if you want to.
• Slice your onions thinly and grate your cheese.
• Generously butter your dish.
• Layer your buttered dish with a layer of potatoes (I use up the halves and scraps of potato for this bottom layer, which won't really be seen).
• Add a layer of sliced onions and some grated cheese, then season with salt and pepper.
• Repeat with more layers of potato, onion, cheese and seasoning (I normally get 2 layers of each plus a final one of potatoes).
• Try to save the nicest looking whole slices of potato to top the dish, as this will be the layer you see when you take the dish to the table (if you care about that kind of thing!).
• Top the Welsh onion cake with a few knobs of butter and cover loosely with tin foil.
• Bake for one hour covered, and then for a further 30 minutes uncovered, leaving you with soft potatoes and onions underneath a buttery, crispy layer of potatoes (my favourite bit).

ONION AND CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Make the pastry shell: In a large chilled bowl combine the flour, salt, chilled butter, and the lard or vegetable shortening. Blend together until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Toss together lightly and gather the dough into a ball. Add more water until dough holds together. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Place the dough in a 9-inch tart pan. Gently press it into the bottom and around the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch the dough. Trim off the excess dough by rolling the pin over the rim of the pan.
• Line the inside of the tart shell with aluminum foil and fill with beans or pie weights. Blind bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil, prick the dough all over with a fork and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until the shell begins to brown.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy 6 to 8-inch skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until haze forms above it. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Stir in the paprika and set aside off the heat.
• In a bowl toss together the Gruyere and Emmentaler cheese until thoroughly combined. Spread half the cheese evenly in the baked pastry shell and scatter the onions over it. Cover with the remaining cheese.
• Beat the eggs cream, milk, salt, and nutmeg together with a wire whisk and pour the mixture slowly and evenly over the cheese.
• Bake in the upper third of the oven for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to 425 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling has puffed and browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pan from the oven and remove the tart from the pan.
• Serve hot or at room temperature as a first or main course.

WELSH ONION CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Heat about 1/4 of the butter in a large pan, set over medium heat.
• 2. Sweat the onions with a little salt and the rosemary sprig. Slowly cook on a gentle heat with a lid on for about 20 minutes. Remove rosemary and set aside.
• 3. Grease an oven proof dish and on the bottom of the dish, place a thick layer of potatoes, well seasoned with salt and pepper.
• 4. Add a layer of onions.
• 5. Dot each layer with butter and thyme (if using), and repeat this again, or until the dish is full, ending with a layer of potatoes.
• 6. The top layer should also be dotted with butter, using more than given above, if necessary. Cover with a lid or foil and bake in a moderate oven (350F.) for about one and a half hours, removing the lid for the last half hour.
• 7. Note: The variety of potato makes it difficult to give a precise cooking time: very floury ones can cook in 1 hour where as waxy ones will take longer. If using the cheese, sprinkle a little bit on each layer.

WELSH GOAT'S CHEESE & LEEK TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then soften the leeks for 5 mins. Add the bacon, cook for a further 5 mins, season, then tip onto a plate to cool.
• Unroll the pastry and cut out two 12 x 18cm rectangles - save or freeze the rest for another time. Lift onto a baking sheet. Using the tip of a sharp knife, mark a border inside each one, about 1.5cm from the edge.
• Mix the crème fraîche and mustard together, then spread over the inside of the pastry frames. Spoon the leek and bacon mix over the mustard mix, then place the goat's cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve with salad.