This roasted shallot tarte tatin with thyme & balsamic is a perfect side dish or snack with drinks. Serve it with shavings of a sharp cheese such as Pecorino Romano to balance out the sweetness.

Just before our country went into lockdown, I was sent a box of shallots from Du Toit Agri and I immediately decided to make about 10 different recipes with them. As the weeks slipped by, I found myself slowly and easily working through the stash in my everyday cooking, so I haven’t yet managed to do all the dedicated recipes I planned.

I did, however, manage to do this roasted shallot tatin with balsamic caramel and thyme and it was easy and delicious. The sweetness of the caramelised shallots and the balsamic caramel make this tatin on the sweet side so it would be perfect served alongside a few sharp kinds of cheese as a cheese course with appropriate drinks.

A recipe for an easy roasted shallot tart tartin with thyme

I scattered over-generous shards of shaved goat pecorino as the earthy saltiness contrasts perfectly with the tarte tatin. If you want a more savoury tarte tatin, I would suggest leaving out the sugar completely.

This recipe is slightly adapted from this recipe for roast beetroot & onion tarte tatin with balsamic caramel & thyme.

On the shallot front, you might like my no-knead focaccia shallot pissaladière. It is so delicious.

You might also like my carrot tarte tatin recipe.

Recipe makes 1 tart tatin | serves 4

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:1

Ingredients

700 gs shallots peeled, trimmed and cut in half or quarters depending on size
Olive oil
A few sprigs of thyme
3 Tbsp sugar omit and replace with 1 Tbsp butter if you are wanting a more savoury tatin
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp water
4 – 5 sprigs of thyme
1 x 250g ready-made butter puff pastry
sea salt and pepper
goats cheese pecorino or Parmesan to serve or other similar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F and toss the cut shallots with a little olive oil and a few thyme leaves. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 35 – 40 minutes.
When the shallots are roasted, heat a medium-sized pan (I used a 26cm ovenproof frying pan) and add the sugar, balsamic vinegar & water. Cook until it starts bubbling.
Remove it from the heat and scatter over a few sprigs of thyme, as well as leaves from about 2 sprigs. Arrange the slice’s roasted shallots evenly & snugly (cut side facing down) over the bottom of the pan.
Place the puff pastry over the shallots and tuck the edges lightly down the sides. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the tart from the oven, allow it to cool slightly and then invert it over a large plate. Shaved Pecorino, Parmesan or crumble goat’s cheese over the top and serve.