Weekend Recipe: Onion & Gruyère Tart:

Here is another of the recipes in my Family Cookbook which contains more than 100 recipes for the entire family to enjoy - even fussy eaters. All of the recipes are no-fuss and tasty and should appeal to everyone in the household whether they be tiny tots, teens or time-stretched you!

This is great for a weekend get-together. It's my favourite savoury tart; a delicious mix of slowly caramelised onions and Gruyère cheese. It’s also easy to make the Parmesan pastry with a food processor.

Preparation time:  30 minutes + chilling time

Cook:  50 minutes

Makes 8 portions

Ingredients

225 g plain flour plus extra for dusting

125g butter, cubed

30g Parmesan cheese

1 medium egg, beaten

For the filling

a knob of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

500g onions, thinly sliced

4 large eggs

300ml double cream

150ml milk

200g Gruyère cheese, grated

30g Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and black pepper

Method

1.  Line a 24–25 cm deep round loose-bottom tart tin.

2.  Tomake the pastry, put the flour, butter and Parmesan in a food processor. Whizz until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of water and whizz until the mixture forms a ball. Roll out on a clean, lightly floured work surface and line the base and sides of the flan tin with the pastry. Set aside to chill in the fridge for 30–35 minutes.

3.  Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Prick the base of the flan pastry and line with baking paper and then baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for a further 8–10 minutes until lightly golden, then place the pastry case on a baking sheet.

4.  To make the filling, melt the butter and olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry over a medium – high heat for 5 minutes. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for 20 minutes until soft and golden brown. Spread onto the base of the tart.

5.  Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the cream and milk and season. Add the Gruyère, then pour into the case. Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

6.  Reduce the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Bake for about 30–35 minutes until lightly golden on top and set in the middle.

* * *

You can purchase Annabel's Family Cookbook at Random House.