Easy Bouillabaisse
Last week I featured a super Easy Bouillabaisse from a cooking class my husband and I attened in Ireland last March. Well… I’ve got another one for you. Now you may be wondering why I’m just getting to posting these recipes now – 8 months later. Admittedly I am a procrastinator; but I’m at least a “productive procrastinator”. Look it up, I swear, it’s a real term. So for instance, instead of balancing my checkbook (am I the only one who still does this?) I may decide to organize my closet. But no, it did not take me nearly a year to bring you these recipes because I decided to productively procrastinate and conduct a full self audit of last years cheese intake. As interesting as that might be, I actually had a more methodical reason for holding onto this recipe until now.
While delicious anytime of year, I thought this Shallot Tarte Tatin would make a wonderful compliment to various holiday dinners. A great dish to pass around the Thanksgiving table, perhaps serve along side a holiday roast, it even makes for a great finger food at a New Year’s party.
A tarte tatin is best known as a sweet dish, an upside-down pastry often made with apples. As the story goes, it was accidentally created in at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in the 1880’s. It was run by the Tatin sisters. Stephanie Tatin was the primary cook and one day as she was making a traditional apple pie and she smelled the ingredients burning in the pan. In a desperate attempt to save the dish, she threw the pastry base on top and quickly finished it off in the oven. After flipping it over, she served it to the hotel guest and much to her surprise, they loved it! The other version (which is a bit less fun, in my opinion) has Stephanie simply cooking it upside-down by mistake. In actuality, the upside-down tarte was not a new concept. In 1841 Marie-Antione Careme made a mention of such a dish in his Pâtissier Royal Parisien. Whether or not Stephanie Tatin came up with a genuine creation or merely copied it, it was certainly made famous by the Tatin sisters and the Tatin Hotel.
Whatever story you subscribe to, this sweet, turned savory tarte is sure to be a show-stopper of a dish on any table.
- 8 shallots, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons port
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- all-purpose flour for dusting
- 1 egg
- 4 ounces blue cheese
- 1 small handful of arugula
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Heat a heavy, oven-safe, 9-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots, placing the cut side up first. Cook for 4 minutes, without separating the halves. Then gently flip so all shallots are cut side down. Cook for 2 minutes, again without breaking them apart. Then add the thyme, port, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle the sugar overtop. Allow to cook for another 2 minutes until the shallots are lightly-browned. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Gently roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface just to smooth out creases. Place a bowl that's several inches larger than the skillet, upside-down on the pastry and using the tip of a sharp knife, cut a circle around the edge of the bowl. Lift out the circle and gently drape it over the shallots. Using your hands, carefully tuck the pastry down between the shallots and the sides of the skillet. Combine the egg and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and brush over the puff pastry.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown. Allow to cool in the skillet for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate or platter. When the skillet is inverted onto the plate/platter, give it a little jiggle to make sure the tarte has released from the pan. Often you can hear and/or feel it release. If some of the shallots stick to the pan, simply remove them gently and place back into the tarte.
- Crumble the blue cheese overtop and add the arugula. Slice like a pizza, serve, and enjoy!
i am going to test cook this tart, but may i say i already know your beautiful creation will make for a stellar holiday party presentation. i can’t wait to taste and share this sexy dish. thank youuuu 🙂
Thank you so much sweetie! I hope you and your guest enjoy! 🙂
Gorgeous appetizer, girl! I love that it is really easy too. It is likely that I will hosting a Thanksgiving party at my house. If I can find some oven space, I am making this! 🙂
Aww…. thanks sweetie! If you’re making Thanksgiving party food – I may have to crash 😉
Brilliantly executed Kathleen and such a delicious combination of flavors! I adore caramelized shallots; pair them with a bit of cheese and puff? Face Plant! The Tatin sisters knew what they were doing, eh? This would make such a fabulous appetizer for the upcoming holidays… or for a brunch shared with friends and family! Thank you for this my dear! 😀
Thanks so much, Traci 🙂 Don’t you just love a great food history story!
This looks so amazing!
Thanks, Karl!
Thank you for this dish…I was actually surprised by how easy the instructions were given its elegance! Tres magnifique, my friend!
Merci beaucoup sweetie 🙂
A savory tarte tatin? Genius! It sounds (and looks) perfect for the holidays. I’m going to have to keep the concept of productive procrastination in the forefront of my mind. I’m pretty sure so far I am just a procrastinator. 🙂
Ha! Productive procrastination is my new favorite term – it makes you feel better about putting stuff off 😉
What a wonderfully elegant way to make a tart, Kathleen. I’m not sure why I’ve never tried making a tarte tatin of any description, but I especially love the idea of a savoury one for the upcoming holidays. It’s wonderful that you’re still getting inspiration from your Irish trip, too. That’s just one of the many reasons I think travelling is worth every cent! 🙂
It’s nice to see a recipe that showcased shallots. There aren’t many of them. This taste tatin is a show stopper that balances bold flavors with the mild shallots. Delish!
Get out of here with this recipe!! One of my favorites things in the whole world is a French onion tart and this is like a more sophisticated version of that with the shallots. I swear I would put blue cheese and arugula on everything if I could, and then you’ve combined that with the lovely sweet garlic flavor of the caramelized shallots. I can’t stand it!! Love it so much. I gotta make this over the weekend. Plus it would be awesome for brunch too! 🙂
Productive procrastinator! I love that! I can also totally identify! I saw Ina make one of these – it was the apple version you mentioned. I love that you did savory with shallots, yummy blue cheese, and that peppery arugula! I don’t blame you for keeping this a secret!
OH GOSH, Kathleen. This is the most beautiful tarte tatin I have ever seen. I have never made it myself. Can’t wait to give it a try. Beautiful photos.
Thanks, so much Anu 🙂 I hope you give it try.
I totally don’t blame you for holding onto this beautiful shallot tarte tatin, Kathleen! This is is beyond perfect for the holidays – a show stopping, absolutely delicious dish! Honestly, I kind of don’t want to share this one, so I might end up just making it for myself first! 🙂 Pinned! Cheers, doll – to a weekend as fabulous as this tatin! xo
Thanks, Cheyanne 🙂 And no worries… there are plenty of your recipes I wouldn’t share – just give me a fork and I’m diggin’ in! Hope you have a great weekend sweets!
I love the term “productive procrastinator!” That is soooo me! It’s okay that you took your time in sharing this tarte….you’ve got it here now! You just need to say “Yeah, Me!” This truly does look divine and so elegant!
‘Productive procrastinator’ – it really doesn’t sound so bad when you put it that way, right? 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Kathy! Hope you have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Kathleen those shallots look incredible! I love everything you have cooked them in especially. And I had no idea tart tatins have such an interesting history so thank you for sharing that <3
I had no idea of the history either! Gotta love the Internet 😉
This looks soooo good, Kathleen! I love that you made a savory tarte tatin – genius to use shallots too! I’m so glad you decided to share this recipe. I can’t wait to give it a go! 🙂
Thanks, Beeta! I’m always a fan of the savory 🙂
Oh my this looks fantastic! I love how you turned a traditionally sweet dish into savory. I love the blue cheese crumbles on top!
I’m a savory kinda gal so whenever I find a sweet dish made savory, I’m all over it! The blue cheese with the caramelized shallots – can’t go wrong with that 🙂
This tart looks delicious and I love all the different flavors. I must try this one.
Thanks, Janette 🙂
HOLY F*CK! This is gorgeous!!! And I did not know that story about how the tart was born 🙂 And I am one of those productive procrastinators too…like instead of blogging a recipe I catch up on the riveting lives of Vanderpump Rules 🙂 Gorgeous honey. Just gorgeous.
Lol! Thanks, Mila! Honestly, I had no idea how the tarte tatin was created either until I did a little research for this post – gotta love Wikipedia 😉
I’ve never had a tarte tatin, but this looks gorgeous! Perfect for the holidays! So glad you decited to share the recipes from the class 🙂 I’m also a procrastinator!
I never had a tarte tatin until our cooking class and now I’m totally hooked! It’s such an easy way to make something elegant.