serves
4
prep
45 minutes
cook
40 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
45
minutes
cooking
40
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
Pastry
- 40 g cold butter, diced
- 40 g cold lard, diced (or replace with butter)
- 175 g plain flour
- 50 ml iced water
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- 350 g onions (2 medium onions)
- 70 g smoked speck, rind removed, cut into 5 mm dice
- 40 g Gruyere cheese, grated
- 100 ml milk
- 100 ml cream
- 1 egg
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch white pepper
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch paprika
The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.
Resting time 1 hour
Chilling time 30 minutes
Instructions
To make the dough, combine butter, lard and flour in a bowl. Use your hands to rub in the butter and lard into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add water and salt, quickly knead until smooth. Roll out dough on a lightly floured bench. Grease a 24 cm round tart tin. Ease the pastry into the tin so it comes up the sides and press into corners. Trim pastry to top of tin and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, preheat the oven to 190ºC. Cut onions in half and then in 3 mm slices. Fry the smoked speck in a non-stick pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Add onions, reduce heat to low and fry until softened and fragrant. Remove speck and onions from the pan and set aside to cool. Add cheese and mix well. Pour the onion and speck mixture onto the pastry.
Combine milk, cream, egg and flour in a bowl. Stir with a whisk to combine, then add salt, white pepper, nutmeg and paprika. Pour milk mixture over the onions and speck and bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked through.
Note
• Smoked speck is available at selected delicatessens. If unavailable, use smoked bacon from a butcher (as opposed to smoke-flavoured bacon which is more widely available).
Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Michelle Noerianto.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
