Although this classic savoury French tart originates from the Alsace region in France, this version is inspired by a misty autumnal day spent picking apples in Normandy before crisscrossing the Suisse Normande – a wild, hilly stretch of the Orne valley just to the south of Caen – in search of a bottle of aged Calvados for our Christmas table. We returned with a couple of creamy local cheeses which we didn’t get around to finishing so this is how I used them up. This is a great recipe to bookmark for a lovely post-Christmas lunch designed to use up all your odds and ends of cheese because, to be truthful, anything goes here.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

320g pack of all-butter puff pastry
2 large white onions, peeled, cut in half and sliced into thin half moons
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large free-range eggs
300ml Normandy crème fraîche
1 tsp Maille wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
250g cheese (this time I used Dolcelatte, brie, cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano left over from a recent dinner party)
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground mixed peppercorns

How I make it

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and gently fit it into a medium tart case with a loose bottom leaving any excess pastry overhanging. Place in the fridge and leave to chill for 15 minutes.

Heat an oven to 180C fan.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan, add the olive oil, the onions and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Gently cook through for around 15 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.

Crumble and grate the cheese and set that aside too.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, prick the base with a fork and line with a sheet of baking paper. Fill with baking beans and place on a large baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and the beans and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and turn down the temperature to 160C fan.

Use a very sharp knife to trim off the excess pastry. 

Beat the eggs and cream together, add the mustard and the tarragon (if using). Season to your taste.

Keeping it on the baking sheet, evenly scatter the cheese across the base of the pastry case. Add the onions and pour in the egg mix. Return to the oven and bake for about 40 minute until set and golden.

Serve with a lemony green salad.