Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

Shallot Tart

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.

Shallot Tart

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.

Shallot Tart

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.

Recipe for Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

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Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy

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  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Tart
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

This Shallot Tart with Thyme and Anchovy makes an easy and very tasty lunch or supper.  The combination of crisp buttery pastry, sweet shallots, fragrant thyme and salty anchovy is superb!


Ingredients

Scale

500 g (1lb) pack of ready-made puff pastry (get one made with butter if you can)
A little plain flour
A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme
1 tin of anchovies
500 g (1lb)  of shallots
150 g (5 oz) of mascarpone


Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Lightly dust your oven tray with flour.
  3. Roll out the puff pasty into a large rectangle and place on your oven tray.
  4. Remove the skins from your shallots.  The easiest way of doing this is to put them in a small saucepan, cover with boiling water and leave for 3 minutes.  Then drain off the water and the skins will be easy to remove.
  5. Cut each peeled shallot in half.  Place shallots in a small frying pan with a little butter and cook very gently until golden and softened.  This should take around 10 minutes.
  6. Spread the mascarpone over the puff pastry.  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.
  7. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and small pieces of anchovy.  Then add the cooked shallots.
  8. Place the tart in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the pastry is crispy and golden.
  9. The tart can be eaten hot, warm or at room temperature.   I like it best hot.

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