Zibelechueche, or onion tart, is one of the traditional foods served at the Onion Market, or Zibelemärit, today in Bern (more on this excellent event in my post here). 

The market starts at 4am and continues until the early evening, so this tart makes an excellently fragrant breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

The tarts served at the Zibelemärit are usually in slices or rounds. They can be quite pale, and very creamy and fragrant, depending on the mix of seasonings.

They are enjoyed with Glühwein, (or after a few Glühweins...)

Dough:

200 g flour

pinch of salt

80 g butter, cold

125 ml water, cold

Filling:

around 800g onions

knob of butter

125 ml milk

125 ml cream

3 eggs

nutmeg, salt and pepper

For the dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Press the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic, and let cool in the fridge for about an hour.

Roll out your dough and line a 26 cm (10 inch) round tart pan. Keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready. 

Filling:

Cut the onions in half and slice them lengthwise.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it splutters, add the onions and cook over medium low heat for about 15 minutes, or until they are soft and transparent. Remove from pan and let cool.

Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F / gas mark 6, bottom heat.

Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, and seasonings.

Place your tart pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread the cooled onions in an even layer, then pour in the liquid.

Bake in the bottom part of the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until the tart is set and the crust is golden.

• To save time, you can use store-bought dough like Kuchenteig / pâte brisée / pasta per crostate to line your pan.

• If you use one of the French tart pans with removable bottom, they can really be a pain to clean. Soak it as soon as the tart is out, and save your brush from all the pesky dough bits by using your fingernails to scrape out all the individual grooves instead.

• I first published this recipe in 2015. The recipe is still the same, but I updated the photos in 2023.