Recipe

Step 1: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Add the honey, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, increase the heat to high, and boil to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Take o? the heat and set aside to cool.

Step 3: Preheat the oven 400°F.

Step 4: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough (see below) 1/8″ thick. Line a 10″ tart pan with the pastry and prick the bottom several times with a fork. Trim the edges. Scoop the onion mixture into the tart shell. Bake until the pastry is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before drizzling with olive oil and serving.

Puff Pastry

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Cube 8 tbsp of the butter and add to the bowl, along with the water. Mix gently with your fingertips until the dough comes together in a ball. Slice a cross in the top of the ball, about 1/2″ deep. (This will help when rolling the dough.) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Put the remaining 16 oz. butter on a piece of plastic wrap, cover with a second sheet, and use a rolling pin to flatten the butter into a 10″ square (approx.). Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 3: On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough from the centre out, following the lines of the cross, as if you were opening the ball like a flower, into a large square, about 20″ on each side.

Step 4: Put the flattened butter in the centre of the square of dough and bring the corners of the dough to the centre to enclose the butter. Roll out, being careful not to squeeze out the butter, to an even rectangular shape about 16″ by 24″.

Step 5: With a short side facing you, fold the dough in thirds, as if you were folding a letter. Turn the folded dough so that the seam is to one side and a short side of the dough is once again facing you. Repeat the rolling and folding once. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Step 6: Repeat the rolling, folding, and chilling steps 4 more times. The idea is to fold and roll the dough six times (twice at the beginning and then once each subsequent time). When you are finished, your dough is ready! You can use it right away or wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month; defrost overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.

Reprinted with permission from Mimi Thorisson’s A Kitchen In France (2014 Clarkson Potter).