Tarte à l'oignon
 | |
| Alternative names | Zewelwaï |
|---|---|
| Course | Starter |
| Place of origin | France |
| Serving temperature | Hot, warm or cold |
| Main ingredients | Onions, shortcrust pastry |
Tarte à l'oignon or Zewelwaï is a savoury tart with a baked filling of onions and cream. It is a speciality of the French region of Alsace, and may be served hot, warm or at room temperature. It is typically served as a starter.
Background and ingredients[edit]
Onion pastries are familiar in many French regions and elsewhere, including the Provençal pissaladière, Flemish flamiche and from Britain the Lancashire Butter pie.[1] Elizabeth David singles out Zewelwaï as "the famous Alsatian speciality ... a truly lovely first course".[2]
The onions are thinly sliced and, in most versions, slowly cooked in fat. Different cooks and writers specify various fats, including butter and oil (David),[2] lard (Jane Grigson),[1] beef dripping (Felicity Cloake), olive oil (Gilles Pudlowski),[1] butter (André Soltner),[3] and goose fat (Anne Willan).[4] Larousse Gastronomique's Treasury of Country Cooking recommends simmering the onions in water;[5] Gabriel Kreuther adds the onions raw to the filling.[6]
The mixture to which the onions are added may contain cream, crème fraîche, whole eggs, egg yolks, and bacon.[1] A variant made in the early months of the year, Zewelwaï printanière, substitutes spring onions for the usual brown ones.[4] Most cooks blind bake the pastry case before adding the filling,[1][4] although David does not.[2] The pastry is generally shortcrust or a variant of it,[1] but Larousse specifies puff pastry.[5] The filled pastry case is then baked.[1]
The cooked tart may be served hot,[2][5] warm,[1][3][6] or at room temperature.[3][6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cloake, Felicity. "How to cook the perfect onion tart", The Guardian, 15 May 2019
- ^ a b c d David, pp. 184–185
- ^ a b c Soltner, André. "Alsace Onion Tart", Epicurious, 20 August 2004
- ^ a b c Willan, p. 243
- ^ a b c Colmore, p. 324
- ^ a b c Kreuther, Gabriel. "Alsace Onion Tart", Taste of France, 12 June 2023
Sources[edit]
- Colmore, Julia, ed. (1977). Larousse Treasury of Country Cooking Around the World. London: Hamlyn. OCLC 1335731449.
- David, Elizabeth (2008) [1960]. French Provincial Cooking. London: Folio Society. OCLC 809349711.
- Willan, Anne (1981). French Regional Cooking. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-146211-6.