A delicious onion and olive tart inspired by southern France. One of our favourite spring recipe ideas at Field Kitchen — perfect for lunches, picnics and relaxed gatherings.
At Field Kitchen we’re always looking for spring recipe ideas that are simple, generous and full of flavour — dishes that work just as well for a long lunch with friends as they do for a picnic or buffet table.
This onion and olive tart is a absolute classic in our kitchen. We first discovered it in a cookbook by Josceline Dimbleby back in the mid-1990s and have been happily cooking it ever since.
Across the south of France you’ll find many variations of this humble onion tart. Ours is rich, savoury and deeply comforting, with the warmth of good olive oil running through both the pastry and the filling. We often use Moroccan harissa-marinated olives, which add a gentle warmth and a little lift of spice.
Served warm or at room temperature, it’s one of those spring recipe ideas that never fails — perfect alongside a table of colourful salads.
Preparation Time
Preparation: 1 hour
Baking: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 175g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
For the filling
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 750g red onions, thinly sliced
- 25g olives, stoned and chopped
- 250ml double cream
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Oven temperatures: 220°C, then 190°C
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Put the olive oil and water into a small saucepan with the crushed garlic and heat gently for a minute or two until just beginning to bubble.
Pour the hot liquid into the flour and mix with a wooden spoon to form a crumbly dough. Using your fingers, press pieces of the dough firmly against the sides of a 24cm fluted loose-based flan tin, then press the remaining dough evenly across the base.
Place the pastry case in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the sliced onions and cook slowly, stirring often, until completely soft and meltingly tender — but not browned. Stir in the chopped olives and remove from the heat.
Bake the empty pastry case in the centre of the oven for 10–15 minutes. Remove it and reduce the oven temperature to 190°C.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, egg and egg yolks. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir the cooked onions into the cream mixture and pour the filling into the pastry case.
Return to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the filling is just set in the centre.
Leave the tart to cool slightly before slicing — it cuts much more neatly once it has rested.
Field Kitchen note:
This olive-oil pastry is slightly more delicate and crumbly than traditional shortcrust. If you want a firmer base — especially for picnics — feel free to substitute your favourite shortcrust pastry recipe.
