Onion, Bacon and Cheese Tart Recipe
Onion, bacon and cheese tart is a Polish take on quiche with a short, buttery crust, great both as a main meal and as a snack with wine. The filling is made with long-sautéed onions, smoked bacon and yellow cheese, so the centre turns out creamy, slightly sweet and smoky, yet holds its shape. This recipe walks you through blind-baking the crust and slowly caramelising the onions so the tart doesn’t get soggy and slices cleanly.
This is a homemade variation on French quiche, but with a typically Polish trio: onions, smoked bacon and yellow cheese. It works well as a stand-in for baked open-faced sandwiches or pizza at get-togethers with friends.
The flavour of this tart is reminiscent of French onion soup in sliceable form, with a short, buttery crust instead of a crouton. Thanks to the smoked bacon and yellow cheese it feels very homely, yet still looks elegant on the table. It’s easy to cut into small portions, so it’s great for parties.
Why this version works
- Slowly stewing the onions brings out sweetness and depth without which the filling would taste flat.
- Blind-baking the crust prevents it from getting soggy from the cream and onions.
- The combination of bacon and yellow cheese creates a stable filling that sets well.
- Thyme enhances the flavour of the onions and bacon without overpowering the tart.
Chef's tips
If the dough softens and starts to stick while rolling, put it back in the fridge for 5–10 minutes – if it’s too warm it will tear and shrink a lot during baking., Stir the onions more often towards the end of cooking when they start to brown, as it’s easy to burn one spot., If after 20 minutes of baking the centre of the tart is still clearly liquid, bake it for another 5 minutes until the filling only just quivers.
How to serve
Serve with a simple salad of mixed leaves, vinaigrette and a dill pickle – the acidity nicely cuts through the richness of the bacon., For a party, cut the tart into small squares and serve on a board with half-sour or dill pickles and wholegrain mustard., For dinner it pairs well with a glass of dry white wine or a light pilsner-style beer.
Watch out for
- Don’t brown the onions too much – very dark, almost black edges will taste bitter.
- Don’t fill the tin right to the brim; the filling rises slightly and can overflow.
- Be careful with salt in the filling – bacon and cheese are already quite salty.
Substitutions
- You can replace the bacon with smoked pork jowl or ham, shortening the frying time.
- Replace part of the yellow cheese with oscypek or another smoked cheese for a stronger aroma.
- You can mix 30% cream half-and-half with milk if you want a lighter version.
Ingredients
- flour wheat - 220 g
- cold butter - 120 g
- egg - 1 piece
- cold water - 1 tablespoon
- onion - 4 pieces
- smoked bacon - 120 g
- cream 30% or 18% - 200 ml
- eggs - 3 pieces
- cheese yellow - 80 g
- oil - 1 tablespoon
- salt
- pepper ground black
- dried thyme - 1 teaspoon
Preparation
- Put the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the very cold butter cut into cubes. Rub it in with your fingers or cut it in with a knife until you get fine, moist crumbs with no visible pieces of butter – the mixture should resemble wet sand.
- Add the egg and quickly bring the dough together. If it’s crumbly, add 1 tablespoon of ice-cold water. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes, until it has clearly firmed up and no longer yields easily under your finger.
- Peel the onions and slice them into thin half-moons; cut the bacon into small cubes. Heat a large dry frying pan over medium heat until a piece of bacon placed on it starts to sizzle gently and release fat.
- Fry the bacon for 5–7 minutes until the fat renders and the cubes are golden and crisp around the edges. Transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan – it should coat the bottom in a thin layer.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil if needed. Add the onions and fry over medium heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until they are very soft, lightly browned, glossy and distinctly sweet in taste. Season with salt and thyme towards the end, then set aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a 26 cm tart tin with butter or line it with baking paper. Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface into a round slightly larger than the tin – it should be flexible but not sticky.
- Transfer the dough to the tin, press it into the base and sides, and trim off any excess. Prick the base all over with a fork, cover with baking paper and fill with dried beans or rice as weights so they cover the base and corners in an even layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for another 5–7 minutes, until the base is lightly golden and dry to the touch, with no wet, shiny patches of raw dough. The edges may be only lightly coloured.
- In a bowl, mix the cream with 3 eggs, season with pepper and a careful amount of salt. Add the grated cheese and stir until the mixture is uniform, slightly thick and without visible clumps of dry cheese; the consistency should be like a thinner yogurt.
- Spread the onions and bacon in an even layer over the pre-baked crust, gently distributing them right to the edges. Pour over the egg-and-cream mixture, smoothing the surface and leaving a few millimetres of space below the rim so the filling has room to puff slightly.
- Bake for about 20 minutes at 190°C, until the filling is set and the top is slightly domed and golden. The tart is ready when the centre only just quivers when you move the tin but is not liquid. Leave for at least 10 minutes so the filling can stabilise and slice into clean wedges.
Storage
Once chilled, the tart firms up slightly and the crust loses some of its crispness but still slices well. Reheat at 160°C until the centre is hot; after freezing, the crust edges become noticeably more brittle and crack more easily when cutting.
It turns out best for me when I start frying the onions as soon as I get home – in that time I can make the dough and blind-bake the crust, and the flat smells like a little bistro.
