Olive and Caramelized Onion Tart

We had movie night at our favorite winery, InVINtions, A Creative Winery, Video #17 – INVINtions, A Creative Winery so of course I had to make something to take with us. More wine = more nibblies. I made a charcuterie platter (cheese, sausage and crackers), packed some nuts and Chex mix, and then of course, I had to actually make something too, so I made a delicious olive and caramelized tart to take with us as well. This is the first time InVINtions has had a wine and movie night. The movie was Bottleshock, A fun wine movie about the true story of Napa Valley’s own Chateau Montelana and the California wine story as a whole. We went with our friend Gabe and met our new friends, Teri and Drew, at the winery. As always, good food, good wine and good times all shared with friends both new and old.

The crust on this tart was very light and flaky and was a modern twist to an old classic, puff pastry. I also used some of my marinara sauce, along with caramelized onions and a mixture of olives. Making Marinara.

Olive and Caramelized Onion Tart

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cake flour

salt & pepper to taste

1 1/2 sticks cold butter cubed

1/4-1/2 cup water

3 TBSP olive oil

2-3 med onions, sliced very thin

1 TBSP garlic

2-3 tsp good balsamic vinegar

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped fine

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped fine

1 cup tomatoes or marinara sauce

1/2 cup olives, sliced

This recipe actually called for freezing the butter and the flour for 1 hour before mixing them together. I can honestly say, I have never heard of that before, but the crust was super light and flaky, so there must be something to it.

While the flour and butter are freezing up, cook up the onions and garlic. Slice the onions very thin, then saute them in hot olive oil, along with the garlic and the balsamic vinegar. I used some of my delicious balsamic vinegar I received as a Christmas present, My Fun Christmas Loot.

The balsamic vinegar helps with the caramelization process and adds a ton of bold flavor to the onions and garlic. Once the onions are mostly done, add the rosemary and thyme, salt & pepper and continue to cook until the onions are completely soft and caramelized. If you are using fresh or canned tomatoes, add them to the mixture at this time and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. I used my marinara sauce and I added it a bit later.

Remove the butter and flour from the freezer and add the butter to the flour. Mix with either your hands or a pastry cutter, adding the water a little bit at a time. This is not going to be a nice neat dough yet. But it will change after the turns.

On a lightly floured surface, form the dough into a rectangular shape and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick. There will still be big butter chunks. That’s exactly what you want at this stage.

Fold the edges in towards the center, turn the dough 1/2 turn and roll out again. Repeat 2 more times until all the butter has been worked into the dough. After the 4th and last turn, roll your dough into a rectangle and place it on a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 400* F or 200* C.

Slightly crimp the edges. I first spread my marinara sauce on top of the dough to about 1/4-1/2 inch away from the edges. Then I added my onion mixture and spread it out evenly over the dough. Add the olives on top. I also added a tough of my new Maldon sea salt flakes before putting it into the oven. Another Birthday Surprise

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and flaky. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

This tart was so good and paired perfectly with wine. It is a perfect wine nibbly to take with you on your next wine adventure or you can also just enjoy it anytime.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.