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1
Pastry: Make the flour into a 'well' on the pastry board.
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2
Beat the egg and add it, with the butter, salt and a little of the water, to the centre of the well.
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3
Then work the ingredients into the flour with your fingerertips, incorporating more water little by little; whether you have to use all the water or not depends on the quality of the flour.
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4
Press all the dough together into a ball.
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5
Work it thoroughly with the heel of your hand, gathering it up with pastry scraper as you do so until it is soft and pliable.
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6
Leave it in the refrigerator to firm up again before you roll it out.
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7
Filling: Peel the onions.
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8
Cut them into fine rings and weigh out 300 grams.
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9
Cook the bacon strips (which need to be VERY finely cut) in the butter.
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10
Let them take on a golden colour, then add the sliced onions and leave them to cook gently until they are tender.
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11
In a bowl beat together the cream, milk and eggs, adding salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
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12
When the onions are cooked, add them to the mixture in the bowl and add the chopped parsley.
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13
Preparation: Roll out the dough 2mm thick and use it to line a buttered tart tin 26 cm in diameter and at least 3cm deep.
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14
Cut a disc of aluminium foil of the same diameter as the tin and place it on the pastry.
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15
Weight it down with a handful of beans or crusts.
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16
Pre-heat the oven to 300F (150C) (150C) and cook the pastry 'blind' for half an hour.
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17
Watch the coulouring of the edge and as soon as it starts to turn golden remove the aluminium foil and beans or crusts.
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18
Cook the pastry shell until the base is baked but not coloured.
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19
Fill the shell with the onion mixture.
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20
Put the tart back into the oven.
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21
Check that the temperature is still 300 F and keep the oven at or just below this temperature for about 1 hour.
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22
Towards the end you could reduce the heat a little, as the tart needs TO COOK VERY SLOWLY.
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23
The tart is ready if, when you shake it, the filling appears to be quite firm with no hint of a whole in the centre.
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24
Serve warm, in small slices.
