The Spring Fever Onion Tart: Spilled Milk #187

Celebrate the first foods out of the garden with this perfect dinner or lunch dish.

It was 24 degrees yesterday and snowed. This Saturday we will smash records in Minnesota when the temperature rises above 66 degrees.

The crocuses will soon be exploding out of the ground the same way that maple sap started running in the southern half of the state over a week ago, more than a month ahead of schedule! Hello Climate Crisis.

So what can we do? I write enough about that all the time, so this week let’s celebrate La Grande Bouffe, ignore the front pages for a while and gorge ourselves on the first foods of the season: The onion and all its other allium brethren — leeks, red onions, shallots, garlic, etc.

Is there a yummier delight than a meltingly tender caramelized allium? Yes there is: The ones that are seasoned with rosemary and balsamic vinegar and baked into a tart!

I made two mistakes when I made this on the video. I slightly overstuffed the tart. You have to wedge the half cooked alliums into the mold, but I was too heavy by about 10 percent. And I cooked this for 30 minutes — I should have gone for 40 since I was using a heavy ceramic tart pan. In a metal pie tin or tart pan, 30 minutes would have been ideal.

With a salad of the season’s first lettuces, and some sliced leg of lamb, it makes for the perfect dinner or lunch. Leftovers can be eaten with some cheese for a snack. Grab a chilled bottle of a bespoke Viognier and kick back in your dining room. Bon appétit!

Recipe: The Spring Fever Onion Tart