Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

This Shallot Tart is very quick and easy to make.   The flavours are a good balance with sweet, caramelised shallots, salty anchovies, pungent thyme and creamy mascarpone on a base of crispy, buttery puff pastry.     If you are a vegetarian, you could replace the anchovies with olives or capers which both have a strong, salty taste.

I make a lot of similar tarts. Generally, the toppings on these puff pastry tarts are determined by what I have to hand in my kitchen but they usually include something cheesy or creamy and also something oniony plus a few stronger flavours to pep things up!   

This thyme which is one of my favourite herbs. I use it in lots of savoury recipes but also in sweet ones such as Thyme Ice Cream with Honey, Thyme Cake and Thyme Biscuits (Cookies) with Pinenuts.

• Easy Shortbread Recipe
• Cranberry Gin
• Beetroot Soup with Coconut
• Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives
• Blackberry Gin

What you need to know about this recipe

• There is no shame in using ready-made puff pastry  – it makes things so much easier – but if you can find a brand that says it is made with butter it will taste so much better!
• I love shallots, partly because they generally have a milder, sweeter flavour than most onions.   It is easy to remove the skins using boiling water, as described below (step 4). I like that they can be eaten whole (or halved) rather than needing to be chopped or sliced like regular onions.
• You can omit the anchovies if you want to make this tart vegetarian (or simply don’t like anchovies). A few olives or a sprinkle of capers are good vegetarian alternatives.
• When you are putting the toppings onto the pastry, make sure that you leave a border of around 2 cm (1 inch) around the edge.  This will mean that you get a lovely crispy edge of risen pastry.
• I think this tart is best eaten hot with the pastry crisp from the oven.

Other quiche and tart recipes

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

• Asparagus Quiche is a simple quiche-style savoury tart that highlights the taste of fresh asparagus. Asparagus Tart is a quick and easy recipe that uses ready-made puff pastry.
• Two kinds of onion tart – Caramelised Onion Tart which is based on sweet, slow-cooked onions and another version, Onion Tart with Wild Garlic, which has the addition of fresh herbs.
• I also have two very different carrot-based tarts. Carrot and Coriander Tart combines these two classic flavours in a simple quiche-style savoury tart. Carrot Tart uses ready-made puff pastry and combines large pieces of carrot with orange and soft cheese.
• Beetroot Tart is deliciously sweet and earthy.  Tomato Tart is fresh and sweet.
• Spinach Tart combines leaf green spinach with feta and crunchy pine-nuts.
• Butternut Squash Tart with Chilli and Sage also has a sweetness to it but this is off-set by the addition of a little hot chilli.
• Feta Quiche with Roasted Peppers is a fantastic comination of rich, smoky roasted peppers with salty feta cheese.
• If you love garlic, you will like my Garlic Tart which is a celebration of one of my favourite flavours!
• I also have a couple of fish-based recipes. My Crab and Prawn Tart has Asian-inspired flavours of coriander, lime and chilli. My Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns is easy to make and is perfect for a celebratory meal or party.
• In addition to larger quiches and tarts, I also have a recipe for individual Herb Tartlets which are great as canapes or snacks.

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Recipe for Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

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This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Peachicks Bakery and #FiestaFriday with Fiesta Friday