Zwiebelkuchen is a German onion tart traditional to Swabia in south-central Germany. Custom is to enjoy this onion tart with the first fresh wines of the season and often the result is quite a festivity. With La Motte’s 2017 harvest in the cellar, Chef Michelle Theron of Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant shares a recipe for this traditional savoury pastry. It works for supper and can be a lovely accompaniment to a braai!
Onion Tart Recipe
Step 1: Balsamic onion
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 100 ml balsamic vinegar
- 100 g sugar
- salt
Method
- Slice the onions
- Simmer the onions in a pan, add 100 ml balsamic vinegar and 100 g sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Simmer until onions are soft and caramelised. Cool down.
Step 2: Baby onions
Ingredients
- 5 baby onions
Method
- Halve baby onions (in skin) and simmer in a pan until they reach a dark brown colour. Now peel and cool down.
Step 3: Pastry
Ingredient
- 500 g cake flour
- 50 g butter
- 50 g sugar
- ½ packet yeast
- 5 ml salt
- 15-20 g cumin seeds
- 125 ml milk
- 125 ml tepid water
- Handful raisins for 125ml raisin water (see method below)
Method
- In a small pot – combine raisins and water and bring to the boil. Add 100 g sugar and boil. Leave to stand.
- Strain water and reserve. Discard raisins.
- Mix all the dry ingredients and add 125 ml of the raisin water, 125 ml tepid water and 125 ml milk.
- Mix well.
- Rest for 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 4:
Ingredients:
- 80 g goat’s milk cheese
- 1 bunch of red grapes
Method
- Use the dough mix of Step 3 and roll out.
- Line a 30-cm pan with the dough, bake blind for 10 minutes and cool down.
- Once cooled, add balsamic onions as well as baby onions.
- Top with 80 g goat’s milk cheese and the red grapes.
- Bake at 190 degrees Celsius until the pastry has a beautiful brown colour.
