Upcycling Dough Scraps into a Flavorful Caramelized Onion Tart – Quick Guide

This technique provides a fast interpretation on the French onion tart, turning some leftover of leftover pastry into a impromptu delicacy. Keep and collect any leftovers into a ball and use again as and when required. Dough keeps well in the icebox, and by omitting two time-consuming procedures in the classic preparation – creating the pastry and caramelising the onions – this recipe assembles about an hour faster. Alternatively, the onions are heated inverted, cooking and caramelizing below a layer of pastry with small fish and brined olives for a speedy, fun take on a French classic. Should you have a smaller amount of dough, you can always reduce the recipe.

Quick Upside-Down Pissaladière Tarts

The recent popularity of upside-down tarts, which spread quickly on TikTok and Instagram a few years back, may have originated with a tasty and simple peach and honey puff pastry or an inspirational pastry dish that even inspired a whole book on inverted recipes. Additionally, I have been experimenting with flipped preparations lately, from an elongated savory tart to these fast pissaladière tartlets. It’s a simple, playful method to make something that feels particularly unique.

Yields 4 personal pastries

• 1 sweet onion
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Sea salt and peppercorns
• 8 anchovies (or 4, for a less intense flavor)
• Brined olives, to taste
• 120g pastry sheets – puff or buttery can be used as well

Preheat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Remove the skin and clean the onion, then chop into four large, cross-sections. Prepare a heat-resistant baking tray with non-stick paper, then visualize where you will place each round of onion. Sprinkle those locations with olive oil and syrup, then add salt and pepper. Lay two small fish on top of each seasoned patch and layer them with a piece of onion. Arrange a few dark olives inside and beside the onions, then sprinkle with a little more olive oil, honey, salt flakes and black pepper.

Switch on two adjacent stovetop elements to a moderate temperature, set the pan on top of the rings and let the onions to heat without moving for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, on a sprinkled with flour surface, roll out the sheets and cut it into four pieces just large enough to cover each piece of onion. Precisely put one pastry square on top of each round of onion, seal on the perimeter with the reverse of a fork, then cook for 20 minutes, until the dough is browned. Place a plate on top of the pastry tray, then invert to turn the tarts on to the plate. Carefully remove the parchment and enjoy.