Name: Cucumber and Onion Upside-down Tart
Yield: Serves 8–10
Ingredients: ½ pint (300 ml) soured cream, to serve with the tart; 2 tablespoons (2 x 15 ml spoon) cold water; 1 large cucumber; 1–1¼ lb (450–550 g) Spanish onions (approx. 2), peeled, quartered and sliced thinly; 2 oz (50 g) butter; salt and black pepper; 6 oz (175 g) plain flour, plus extra for flouring; 4 oz (100 g) butter; 2 oz (50 g) cheese, grated finely; 1 large egg (size 1–2)

Preparation info

Serves
8–10

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

First Impressions

By Josceline Dimbleby

Published 1984

About

This is made rather like the French upside-down apple tarts and has the same advantages of crisp pastry and a decorative shiny top. It turns out as a mild mixture of cooked cucumber and Spanish onion on a base of cheese pastry.

Ingredients

For the pastry

6 oz (175 g) plain flour, plus extra for flouring
4 oz (

Method

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Work in the grated cheese. Whisk the egg lightly with the water and stir into the pastry mixture with a wooden spoon until it sticks together. Using floured hands gather the mixture into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate.

Next, take the large cucumber and cut into thin rou