Carrot and Onion Tart Recipe

Servings: 6
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients

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for the tart:
½ cup chevre, softened
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 large egg plus 2 large egg whites
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup|60 ml olive oil
1 pound|454 grams yellow onions (can use purple, white, etc)
¾ pound|340 grams carrots (should use different varieties, colors, shapes)
a variety of roughly chopped herbs, to serve

Directions

Make the dough: Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the cold butter all at once and pulse until combined. Butter should be about the size of a hazelnut, with smaller pea-sized pieces too. Jogging the pulse button as fast as you can, stream in the ice cold water onto the blade until dough starts to climb up the sides of the bowl. You may not need all of the water. The mixture should look like damp breadcrumbs, with some larger pieces of butter. Do not add too much water!
Dump the dough crumbs into a bowl and refrigerate so it can continue to hydrate. It is hydrated enough when you can gently fist a small handful of dough crumbs and bring it together into a mass, but knock it back into a crumb-like state with a poke of a finger. Anything stretchy or dense contains overworked gluten and should be thrown away. If it feels powdery or dry, you can dunk the tips of your fingers in ice water and flick your fingers over the surface of the crumbs. Divide the dough into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight before rolling out.
Make the tart: Heat the oven to 400°F. (If have a convection oven, set the fan to the highest setting). Working with one ball of dough at a time and on a gently floured piece of parchment paper, roll the dough to a round about 13 to 14-inches wide. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Set aside in fridge to let chill while you prepare the other fillings.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Slice two of the onions and cook until golden, 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and season with salt. Cook until caramelized, 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then chop.
In a small bowl, combine the softened chevre, cream, and the whole eggs and stir until smooth. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Prep the vegetables for the tart: Carrots should be scrubbed clean but don’t have to be peeled. Depending on the size and shape, they can be cut in half lengthwise or into shorter matchsticks about 2 to 3-inches long. No piece should be thicker than 1-inch. The remaining onions should be cut in half and peeled, but keep the root intact so the layers stay together. Slice each onion half into thick fans about ½-inch wide. Toss the vegetables with the remaining olive oil and salt.
Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and transfer to a fresh baking sheet covered with cooking spray and a new sheet of parchment. Using the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula, spread half of the cheese mixture on top of the dough, right up to the edges of the crust. Next, layer on half of the caramelized onions evenly. Arrange half of the carrots and onions in any pattern you like, leaving a 2-inch border of dough empty. Do not layer vegetables any higher than one layer, but fit close together so the cheese and onion mixture underneath is not exposed. Repeat with remaining dough.
Use the tips of your fingers to gently crimp the edges of the dough up and over, creating a pleated freeform crust. Place back into the fridge and let chill once more, at least 15 minutes or until the dough feels cool to the touch.
When ready to bake, brush the edges of the tarts with the egg white and sprinkle with more salt and pepper. Place in oven and bake until vegetables are deeply caramelized and the crust is a rich golden color, about 30 minutes.
Let cool slightly before cutting. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with a finishing salt and a flurry of whatever herbs you have, like basil, parsley, chives or tarragon.

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