Ingredients

Method

• 2 T butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 15 shallots or pearl onions, peeled and halved through the root
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 350 g butter puff pastry
• a few sprigs fresh thyme
• Thyme or wild rocket, to garnish

Method

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Place 1 T butter, seasoning and garlic in a wide-bottomed pan. Add the onions, cut-side down.

Slowly fry the onions until they soften and the cut side is pale golden in colour. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Place the sugar in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until a caramel forms. Add the balsamic vinegar and the remaining butter. Pour a thin layer of caramel, about 2 to 3 mm thick, into a shallow saucepan or ovenproof tatin dish. Place the onions on top of the caramel, cut-side down.

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 3 to 5 mm and cut out a disc slightly larger than the pan or tatin dish. Place over the shallots and tuck in the edges so the pastry forms a “cup” to hold in the shallots. Make a small air hole in the centre of the pastry and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden.

Turn out the tatin and serve garnished with wild rocket.