Jerusalem artichoke and bacon tart

Fiona Andersen

Ingredients

500 g	Jerusalem artichokes, washed and cut into 2cm thick, round pieces (Main)
50 ml	Olive oil
½ cup	Chicken stock, or water
½ cup	Jam, red onion (see below)
1	Pastry tart case, savoury, blind baked (see below)
1 Tbsp	Thyme, finely chopped
400 g	Bacon, cut into batons and cooked until crisp
7	Free-range eggs (Main)
700 ml	Cream
¼ cup	Parsley, roughly chopped

Pastry

150 g	Unsalted butter
300 g	Plain flour
1 pinch	Salt
1	Water, chilled

Ingredients

80 ml	Olive oil
2 kgs	Red onions, peeled, cores removed, and sliced
⅓ cup	Soft brown sugar
⅓ cup	Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp	Fresh thyme, chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200C. Place artichokes on a baking paper-lined baking tray. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and stock then cover the tray with foil and seal the edges well. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until artichokes are soft. Test with a sharp knife as you would potatoes. Remove foil and roast for a further 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160C.
2. Spread red onion jam evenly over the bottom of the cooked tart base. Sprinkle with thyme and place artichokes around the tart. Scatter the bacon on top.
3. Whisk eggs, cream and parsley together, season and pour into the tart base. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
4. Cut into 9 wedges, reheat for 5 minutes in a 200C oven and serve with salad greens dressed with a little lemon juice and olive oil.

Savoury short crust pastry

(makes 1x 28cm pastry case)

1. Heat oven to 180C. Rub butter into the flour and salt. Add just enough water and work together until a soft dough is formed.
2. Roll dough out on a lightly floured bench top until 3mm to 4mm thick. Gently roll dough on to the rolling pin and unroll again on an oven tray.
3. Refrigerate pastry for 10 minutes then remove from refrigerator and drape over a baking paper-lined 28cm x 4cm tart ring. Gently mould pastry into the tart ring and cover with a layer of baking paper.
4. Fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before removing beans.

Red onion jam

(makes 3x 300g jars)

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pot over a medium to high heat. Sweat onions for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add sugar and vinegar.
2. Reduce heat to low and cook for a further 30 minutes until onions are very soft and the cooking juices have reduced to nothing.
3. Mix in thyme and store in sterilised jars for up to three weeks.