"Budget Beater Bourgeois Tart" or just Caramelised Onion & Courgette Tart

If you live in JHB, you had to have experienced the torrential rains this past weekend which probably also means that you were also stuck in doors.  I for one LOVE the rain. I love its cleansing nature and the fresh sandy smell that follows the downpour! The only time I will ever sing 'rain, rain, go away come again another day' is when I plan on being out 'on the streets (cue RJ Benjamin :)) Okay corny I know I know  :)

Because T and I opted to stay indoors, I chose to make a tart that I've been meaning to make for sometime now but the idea of rolling out pastry just seemed so damn daunting. Fear not: that is not the case with this recipe. Store bought pastry that need not be rolled out (WHOO HOO) and is done in about couple of minutes (enough for you to cuddle while it rains outside :))

Ingredients

1 Roll Puff Pastry (left out to defrost naturally and cut into 4 squares)

2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted doesn't matter really)

5/6 courgettes thinly sliced

2 large (or 4 small) brown onions

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

½  cup grated mozzarella

fresh Thyme

¼ cup of milk

Rocket for serving

Ingredients

1 Roll Puff Pastry (left out to defrost naturally and cut into 4 squares)

2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted doesn't matter really)

5/6 courgettes thinly sliced

2 large (or 4 small) brown onions

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt and Pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

½  cup grated mozzarella

fresh Thyme

¼ cup of milk

Rocket for serving

Method

Melt butter in a pan

Add sliced onions and cook for 20 mins or until caramelised (cook on a low setting to avoid them burning)

Add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 3 mins

Season (with salt and pepper) and set aside

Toss baby marrows in olive oil

Roll out (not using a rolling pin just unroll it) pastry and score a 2cm border around each pastry square. Place pastry squares on greased baking tray (I lined mine with tin foil and sprayed it with spray and cook)

Top with cheese, onions and courgette

Brush pastry edges with milk

Bake for 15-20 minsor until cooked through.

Top with rocket. Or alternatively serve with pesto and a side salad.

This meal is enough to feed four people or 8 people who choose to eat more salad than pastry :)

Expensive – not at all!!

Time to make – not long :)

I'll definitely serve this tart again...and with all this rainy weather that's predicted for JHB, it's a good enough reason to get all TARTY! :)

What comes from a cow....

.....MILK TART :) :) :)

I generally enjoy eating Milk Tart but have never atually gone to the store to buy one (which reminds me - Woolies now sell Milk Tarts - I haven't tried them yet - let me know what they're like ;))

Anyway back to the matter at hand...I made my own Milk Tart or Melk Tart (is it tart or tert)!!! I got the recipe from a colleague at work, who I think got the recipe from The Hulletts website? Took about half an hour to make? No baking is needed for this tart (I laugh eveytime I say that - TART haha)

Considering it was made so quickly, it was really tasty - REALLY TASTY :) Soft, smooth and creamy like milk tart should be :)

Crumb crust made with 1 packet of crushed Tennis biscuits and 125g butter, melted.

FILLING:
500ml (2 cups) milk
Piece of cinnamon stick
60 - 100ml Huletts White Sugar, depending on personal taste
2 eggs
45ml (3 Tablespoons) cornflour
45ml (3 Tablespoons) flour
3ml (½ teaspoon) vanilla essence
30ml (2 Tablespoons) butter
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

The really good part

1. Heat the milk with the piece of stick cinnamon to just under boiling point. - I used two cinnamon sticks
   
2. Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the sugar, then add the cornflour and flour. - with an electric beater
   
3. Pour the hot milk onto this mixture, stirring rapidly. Return the mixture to the heat and cook, stirring till the mixture becomes very thick. Thorough stirring is important to prevent the mixture from catching on the bottom of the pan, and to prevent lumps.
4. Off the heat, add the essence and add the butter. Stir well till the butter is melted.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tart crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

{SIDE NOTES}

Soo, the recipe didn't say anything about greasing your pie dish before placing the tenis biscuits in the dish?? Guess that's common sense though? Well last night, I lacked that common sense and I struggled to get the base (of the tart) out of the dish this am! haha

Mixing the actual tart mixture - U need strong arms and quick movement to make sure that the mixture doesn't stick to the base of your pan OR get lumpy. Next time I make this tart, I will have my blender whisk close by - less of a workout :)

Enjoy! And let me know how your turns out...