Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart (GF, Grain-Free, + Vegan)
4 Oct
FRIENDS.
I’m back.
Sorry about the weeks-long hiatus. Life got crazy like whoa very, very quickly — pretty much as soon as my grad classes started up, and I took a new job, and so on. Enter: Katie’s Life Without Any Free Time Whatsoever. Thank you so much for being understanding and supportive while I adjusted! If I have missed an email or anything, please let me know; I’m worried that some things got lost in the chaos. : / Also. I’m going to aim for posting at least once a week from now on. Let’s hope I can manage that. I missed blogging! I missed chatting with you guys, cooking crazy things, and telling you about it. It’s true that having to take a break from the internet in general was also seriously refreshing. But I am delighted to be back. And with a very worthy recipe to celebrate!
Now let me explain — this recipe looks complicated. It looks like it will take hours to make. It looks like it has a lot of ingredients. But really, this took me about 45 minutes total, prep and cook time, and it’s actually fairly simple. Plus, doesn’t it just look and sound so classy?
Ok, I admit it; I’m a grad student who huddles around free food at lectures. And puts samples in my pockets. That have holes in them. My already questionable hygiene has taken a further hit due to studying. An apple with gobs of peanut butter suffices as a meal on (frequent) occasion. Nearly all my clothes are thrifted.
I know nothing of classiness.
I came across a photo of a Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin on Pinterest way back when, and while I wasn’t so keen on the recipe itself (especially since it had gluten in it, ha), I fell in love with the visual. I actually bought cherry tomatoes at the store every single week while I was away from the blog, vowing that I would find time to make the tomato tart of my dreams… And here we are, three or four weeks and pints of tomatoes later, with — at last! — my own gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan version of a savory tart. I knew I’d get around to it! Good thing those overripe, wrinkly, geriatric tomatoes are easily disguised by the oven’s magic. : )
Sweet and Savory Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart
This tart has a buttery crust that mimics a glutenous one beautifully. It is topped with sweet caramelized onions and garlic — I use red onions for a richer flavor. The touch of balsamic vinegar carries the sweetness of the onions and candy-sweet, juicy tomatoes, while also bringing the perfect amount of complexity and depth to this (surprisingly) simple, high-protein dish. It’s savory, sweet, and one of the most delicious things I have ever made.
Inspired by this Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin.
Ingredients:
Crust
1/2 C garbanzo bean (chickpea or besan) flour
1/2 C blanched almond flour (how to make your own)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 C water
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
Topping
1 small red onion (or half of a medium)
1.5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
salt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tb balsamic vinegar (plus more for drizzling)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (you might not use all of it)
Recipe:
Crust
1) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2) Add water and mix thoroughly with a fork.
3) Add olive oil and mix thoroughly.
4) Preheat oven to 350*. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, using wet hands, press dough into an even circle.
6) Using a fork, pierce the dough to create vents all over. Place in oven and begin working on topping. (You will remove the crust once it turns a light tan on the very edges.)
Tart Topping
1) As crust bakes, slice onion into thin rounds.
2) Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions.
3) Sprinkle onions generously with salt to make them sweat. Stir occasionally.
4) Chop garlic, and once onions are translucent and beginning to brown, add garlic.
5) Stir occasionally to keep garlic from burning, but since you want the onions to caramelize, you can just leave them alone for the most part. Once they turn a beautiful dark brown, turn off the burner, and add the balsamic vinegar.
6) Scrape the skillet as the vinegar reduces down and infuses the onions and garlic.
7) Your crust should be ready by now, if it wasn’t beforehand. Remove it when it is a light tan on the edges. Keep the oven on.
8 ) Spread the onion/garlic/balsamic mixture onto the crust.
9) Quickly slice the tomatoes in half and arrange on top of the onion mixture.
10) Return tart to oven. Once the edges of the tart are lightly browned (see pictures) and the tomatoes are cooked (starting to break and release their juice, or wrinkly, or swollen), remove. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.
Serves two as a meal, or six to eight as an appetizer.
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We literally devoured the entire thing in five minutes. There are simply no words. None.
And since I’ve probably overwhelmed you with the apparent length of the recipe, I’ll close it down here. (Also, it is waaay past my bedtime, and I am suddenly very committed to getting a solid set of hours in each night. Amazingly, sleep makes the waking hours more productive. Who knew, right?)
Yay — I’m blogging again! Give me a day or so to catch up on comments — it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to respond as quickly as in the past, but it is still so important to me to keep up our conversation. Comments and emails will always be a priority, so don’t think I care less just because I’m posting less! New recipes are coming, friends. I have so many tasty ideas percolating that I really had to restrain myself from experimenting in the kitchen all night on Sunday, when I made this dish. This is a very good thing.
OK — what did I miss this month? How have you been?!
Any requests?
xo.
i love savory tarts! this looks delicious
Thanks Caitlin! I’m not gonna lie… it is!
At least we thought so. Going in the vault! 
I love that this crust is grain-free. It looks gorgeous. You’ve definitely convinced me to buy bulk almond flour!
I’m glad things are going well, but sorry life has gotten so crazy. I’m with you on the good crazy too. I started working and wow, time is flying by! Not to mention, when I finally get home and settled, half the time I don’t even want to look at the computer due to exhaustion. The tart looks and sounds beyond amazing!
I completely agree — the last thing I want to do after typing a paper or something is to be in front of my computer again.
We loved the tart — you couldn’t tell it was GF, grain-free, or vegan, and that always tells me something good is goin’ on! Hope all is well <3
Hi Katie-
So glad I discovered your website. This recipe looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I had a recipe about 26 years ago that was similar, but with many, many more caramelized onions, but lost it in a move to new house.:-( Haven’t found anything similar since. (And it wasn’t gluten free.) Everyone at Daily Forage will be excited to try this recipe. Best wishes to you on your new endeavors.
Hi Connie! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment
I hope this recipe can be a decent substitute for the lost one — I think more onions sounds divine! At least this way you don’t have to “convert” anything to GF. 
Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Looks good and so good to see you back and 1x a week is good 4 me. I’m so busy working I don’t have much time to make things anyway. So I can get maybe a recipe here and there. Hope your school is going well. What is your goal? I know you have one Katie.
My goal… hmm… maybe I should do a post on that?
xo.
caramelized onions + balsamic + tomatoes = awesome! can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hurrah! Let me know how it goes!
Yay, glad you’re alive!! I totally feel you – my hygeine, hours of sleep and full meals have taken a hit in the last month. But I’m feeling less insane now and more committed to sleep and good food! You are a meal inspiration (mealspiration?) for me in that your recipes make me want to try new things instead of just having a sandwich for dinner because I spent 12 hours at work/class
Sistaahhh. I miss talking with you! I am totally committed to sleep now. Like, I have never loved sleep sohard in my entire life. Good food is making a comeback here, as well! Grad school, on the other hand… oye. Why did we want to do this again?!?!
(#firstworldproblems complaint over)
xoxoxoxoxo
Sooo glad to have you back! I was getting ready to send you another message and send out the search party! I hope classes and the like are going well!!!
Aw, Hannah you are way too kind!
Let me know if you’ll be around in October! <3
This recipe will definitely be showing it’s face at my Friday night friends gathering. Also, glad to see you are blogging again. Whew! And also glad to hear you are getting good rest. Keep it up. Also, you are missed!
YAY! Hope you like it, my friend! Let me know how it goes.
Also, I miss you.
Also, I love you.
That looks gorgeous! I love cherries!! I make Cherry Cobbler all the time, but your Tart, I think I need to make!
I didn’t realize a tart could be so delicious when savory buuut. WHOA. It is.
those pictures are so pretty!
That is so kind — especially because I hesitated to post them! I’m especially self-conscious of the photos I take in low-light situations, so this was very much appreciated
xo.
Oh boy! I am so excited to try this. I just got the most amazing balsamic vinegar. It’ll be perfect!
Yes! I used Newman’s Own Organic Balsamic and it was the richest, most delicious vinegar I’ve ever tasted. I’m sure yours will amp this up a few notches too!
ahhh i must try this! love that it’s gluten free! i just came across your blog and i will definitely be checking up on it! i nominated you for the versatile blogger award, pass it on!
Thanks so much, Kara! <3 Hope to see you around here more often
Hi Katie! Didn’t want to bother you when you where so busy,but several weeks ago I won a prize of a treat package. I haven’t received it and wanted to see if it had been sent. Thanks!
Karen! Thanks for letting me know that you didn’t get it. I just sent you an email! xo.
I just made this. It was really really good (and pretty). I baked it a little too long waiting for the tomatoes to wrinkle and then they wrinkled as soon as I took it out of the oven! The crust tasted good but was a little too toasty. I remember how wonderful it tastes in quiche!
Thanks for trying it and letting me know your results, Nancy!
I changed the directions to reflect the issue you had so that hopefully it won’t get too toasty if anyone else gives it a go. I’m glad you mentioned that — it helps so much to have someone else make it and offer some feedback on how I can tweak the recipe directions to be more precise. Thanks again for your help!
I love it in the quiche too; the fact that even my super-picky dad likes it tells me it’s a winner.
Hope you have a great week! xo.
Yay!! I just got so excited to see you title.. especially after the one that I’ve gotten used to.. “I’m not dead”. Kind of a morbid title to have for a while!! haha!!
I loooove how this looks. I am going to try to make this for my family when I visit them this weekend!
Ha — yes, very morbid indeed! Glad that I have a title now that’s a little more upbeat
I hope you got to make the tart and liked it! Let me know if you had any issues. Hope you had a great time with the fam! <3
Yay, I’m glad you’re back! This is too funny though- I hadn’t posted in an entire month (slacker, I know)because of being busy with school and clinical rotations and my first post back was for a gluten-free cherry tomato tart! Who knew savory tarts were so amazing? I’m definitely going to be experimenting with more savory tart recipes and next time I will try your crust recipe!
I’m glad we’re back too!
I love that we think alike — I totally agree…. why didn’t I try a savory tart sooner??? Ha. If you try the crust, let me know how it goes! xo.
Katie! Remember me? The even littler chickadee from the fitness blogger conference (which seems like eons ago now!)
So glad Valerie posted about your blog today. It has been ages since I have checked in! Are you going to add an email subscription any time soon? I so want to subscribe!
I just spent 15 minutes going through your posts and drooling. Everything looks amazing!
Alisa! So great to see you in the comments
Valerie is way too kind; it was such a nice surprise to pop up on her blog! So, I laughed when I read your comment. I *really* need to make the email subscription more obvious — but it’s there! It’s the fourth button on the top of the page (it looks like a wooden circle with the RSS symbol in the middle). Or you can just click here and subscribe http://feeds.feedburner.com/NourishingFlourishing 
Thanks for your kind words, friend — so good to hear from you! I hope you are well!
That looks fantastic!
Good to have you back
I missed your beautiful photos!
Thank you so much, Sophie! (I love your name, by the way
)
This looks absolutely amazing!!! Ohmygoodness! Yumm…
I think anything with the word “Balsamic” automatically sounds fancy-balsamic reduction, balsamic chicken, balsamic cake, balsamic dressing….
Thanks Alex.
Balsamic does sounds kind of fancy, now that I think of it!
Wow. I need to make this this weekend!!
If you try it, I hope you love it!
Made it last night – it was awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This made me so happy! I “Yay!”ed out loud. YOL. Ha! Thanks for letting me know how it went!
xo.
This is flippin’ beautiful. Looks like it’d be right at home on fancy dinner party spread.
Aw, thanks Amber Shea!
That tarte looks absolutely delish
To me, it looks and sounds better than an actual sweet pie does, being that I do not have much of a sweet tooth 
I am all about salty foods, but like foods that are both sweet and savory at the same time, because it kind of balances things out.
Thanks for sharing!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Thanks Angel7!
I agree — the balance is so good!
We missed you!!! For beautiful and delicious recipes like this, and for your voice.
Thank you so much, Gena. This is such a kind comment.
slow roasted tomatoes! oh how i could die for them! mhmmmm! looks delicious!
Thanks Alexia! <3
Yum, what a great combination of delicious-ness! Balsamic, onions and tomatoes are all such good friends, and I love that sweetness baby tomatoes get from a slow-roasting. Really digging the idea of a socca-type base for it too, good call
Thanks Lou! I totally agree… those three ingredients are the best of buds. Trifecta of tasty!
Hi Katie,
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it. What would you suggest as a substitute for the Almond flour? I’m allergic to nuts.
Ashleigh.
Hi Ashleigh! Thanks for the question. To be honest, nut flour is so unique, I’m not sure what to suggest… Are you allergic to seeds, as well? If not, you might try lightly grinding sunflower seeds or some other kind of seeds and using that, but I really don’t know. If I figure something out I will let you know you right away. Let me ask around! xo.
Seeds are fine, I tried to research a little as well, and kept coming up with quinoa flour, but man that’s expensive! I will check out the seed flour.
Awesome! Let me know if I can help as you figure things out! xo.
This dish sounds fantastic along with everything else in your blog!
It looks awesome! can’t wait to try. Thanks!
We made these for dinner last night – so.good. So good in fact that we made them again for lunch today. Cherry tomatoes are in season here so we get given a bag every week. Have you tried other toppings?
YAY! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out Julie-Ann! I haven’t really tried other toppings, mainly because I just think those little tomatoes are so pretty and juicy.
Have you? I’m trying to think of what would be best to attempt next… Hm. Maybe thin slices of zucchini? Let me know if you have suggestions! xo.
Made this for my roommates at my housing co-op tonight, and it was a huge hit! The only thing that I changed was that I added VERY thinly sliced tempeh between the onions and tomatoes, and on some of the pies, I did add asiago cheese, because I’m not vegan. So delicious! Definitely bookmarking this recipe to use again and again…
Thanks so much for letting me know how it went, Christina! I’m delighted that it was well received.
I think it’s generally a crowd-pleaser, too! xo.
Hi Katie, I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I didn’t change a thing, which is rare for me. Perfect just the way it is. Thanks for the recipe
Shae, thank you so much for trying the recipe, and for letting me know how it went! It made my day to read that you loved it.
xo.