Best Caramelized Fennel Tarts Recipes

APPLE TART WITH CARAMELIZED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Fold in overhang to form double-thick high-standing sides. Pierce pastry all over with fork. Freeze pastry shell 15 minutes. Line shell with foil and beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until bottom is golden, about 8 minutes longer. Cool pastry shell.
• Place apples, 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until mixture is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring and breaking up apples with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Cook fennel in large saucepan of boiling, lightly salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; drain fennel well.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is dark amber, stirring frequently, about 14 minutes. Stir in drained fennel (caramel mixture will harden). Cover; cook until caramel melts, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer until caramel thickens, about 5 minutes longer (fennel will be very tender). (Pastry shell, apple compote and caramelized fennel can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately. Refrigerate apple and fennel mixtures; store pastry shell airtight at room temperature.)
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread apple compote evenly over bottom of pastry shell. Arrange caramelized fennel evenly over compote. Sprinkle tart with aniseed. Bake until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

ONION TART WITH MUSTARD AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Put 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl, then make a well in center of flour and add yeast mixture to well. Stir together egg, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt with a fork. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or your fingertips, gradually incorporating flour, until a soft dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead, working in additional flour (up to 1/4 cup) as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While dough rises, heat remaining 1/3 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté fennel seeds until a shade darker, about 30 seconds. Stir in onions, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover onions directly with a round of parchment paper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and golden brown, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Knead dough gently on a floured surface with floured hands to deflate. Pat out dough on a large heavy baking sheet (preferably blue steel) into a 15- by 12-inch rectangle, turning up or crimping edge, then brush mustard evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Spread onions evenly over mustard, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.
• Bake tart until crust is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into 2-inch squares or diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.