The consensus of last night's kitchen antics - "Totally different and absolutely delicious". We all know there's a ton of different ways to put onion and bacon to good use be it in a pasta, risotto, quiche, pizza or even just a lowly sandwich but this particular effort just made a direct trip to the top of our list.
A cross between yorkshire pudding, a Dutch baby pancake and toad in the hole it's made from ingredients most of us have on hand on a regular basis - eggs, milk and flour. Top that with 2 kitchen staples (at least in JBug's Kitchen) crispy bacon and golden caramelized onions and you've got the makings of a perfect dish.
I guess I don't have to describe the flavor because we're all familiar with the dulcet notes of bacon and onion, but the crust is not to be believed. It plays a crunchy, tender and puffy light as air like supporting role to the simple filling and there's not an ounce of cheese to be found in the whole darn thing either.
As we wolfed it down along with a fresh green salad, I couldn't help but think it would make a fabulous appetizer all cut up into little wedges, or as a luncheon dish along with a glass of dry white wine. A sincere thanks to Saveur.com - we'll be having this again soon!
By the way, the only change I made to their recipe is that I baked the crispy crunchy flavorful wonder in a large 12 inch cast iron skillet rather than an 9 x 11 inch casserole which made for a super crunchy crust in a lot less time. I kid you not - you absolutely have to try this!
Onion and Bacon Tart (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Saveur)
6 ounces bacon, diced
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt and coarse ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1-1/4 cups whole milk
3 eggs
In a large heavy 12 inch skillet, fry bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to drain. Reserve bacon fat in a small dish. Return pan to medium heat and add butter. When melted add onions. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Sauté onions until golden brown and lightly caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425. Return reserved bacon fat to skillet and place skillet into oven to heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together flour, mustard and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. In separate bowl whisk milk and eggs together, then add liquid to dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth then allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes. Pour into hot skillet. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and onion and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
Other dishes you might enjoy!
Oh, my - some of my most favorite ingredients are in this tart! I can't believe there is no cheese! But, simple is usually the best - is it not? Yum!
Posted by: Lea | 02/18/2012 at 08:39 AM
About the cheese or lack thereof, I can't think it would be any better with it, but if I were to add some it would be at the end and likely a nice creamy double cream brie. Just sayin'.
Posted by: June | 02/18/2012 at 11:09 AM
Oh boy. Now this is what I'm talking about.
Posted by: Lorraine | 02/18/2012 at 06:23 PM
We're still talking about how good it was.
Posted by: June | 02/19/2012 at 06:56 AM