Fennel & Feta Tarte Tatin
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 1 large head fennel (mine was 780g/28ozs.)
- 1 large onion, peeled
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 125ml/4flozs. brandy
- 60ml/2flozs. cup balsamic reduction
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- 100g/3.5ozs. feta, crumbled
- 50g/1.7ozs butter, cut into small cubes
- 2 sheets puff pastry
Cutting out a small triangle at the base of each fennel half and leaving a little bit of the core so that the slices stay intact
Step 1 - Trim the stalks from fennel (keep some of the fronds for decorating). Trim the base of the fennel so that it sits evenly. Halve the fennel from the stalks to the base. Cut out a small triangle of the core leaving a little so that the fennel slices can stay intact and then cut these halves in half again to produce quarters. Slice thinly-around 1/2 a centimetre. Slice the onion into quarters. Lay out fennel slices, onion slices and garlic on a baking tray.
Step 2 - Mix the brandy, balsamic reduction, brown sugar and oil together and cover the fennel slices with this mixture. Bake at 130C/266F for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 220C/440F. Line a 20cm/8inch spring form on the base and add half of the butter cubes. Line with the fennel and onion slices and garlic cloves. Sprinkle with most of the feta and then dot with the remaining butter cubes and then the pastry folding it over. Place on another baking tray (springform tins can leak a little). Bake for 20 minutes. Place the serving tray on the baking tin and carefully turn over. It should slip out easily. Sprinkle with remaining feta and fennel fronds. Serve warm.