Savoury apple and feta tart (rustic)

This was my first attempt at a savoury, short-crust pastry (gluten free, that is), and so I am taking it as a win. The reality is that the version I used to make with beetroot in place of apples was nicer, but I have a lot of apples right now!

I made the pastry using 200g of Doves Farm, gluten free plain flour, 40g of unsalted butter and 60g of lard, one large egg and a little cold water. Here goes..

- Slice the fat into small cubes and mix into the flour using a stand mixer
- When it comes close to combining, add the egg and continue to mix, only adding a little cold water if needed to bind the pastry into a ball
- Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave in the fridge to rest
- After about twenty mins you can roll out the pastry
- My previous attempts at gluten free pastry have been much harder to roll out and so I decided to place a sheet of baking parchment on the counter and another on top of the pastry into order to roll - this definitely helps!
- roll your pastry out into a rough circle (I should have mentioned earlier that this is a rustic tart and so there is no need to attempt any kind of neatness, only an even thickness of about 0.5cm)
- once you are happy with the size and thickness, use the bottom sheet of baking parchment to slide the pastry onto a baking tray (this prevents the pastry from crumbling as you transfer it and had the added advantage of making the baking tray easier to wash)
- pop the pastry back into the fridge

For the filling I used, one large red onion, a tablespoon of spoon each of balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, two eating apples (russets) and a packet of feta cheese.

- Slice the onion finely and cook gentle in olive oil until softened
- Add the maple syrup and balsamic along with a pinch or two of sea salt
- cook for a further minute or two and then add the chopped apples

Now to assemble..
- Remove the pastry from the fridge and then place the onion and apple mixture in the centre, spreading it out evenly but leaving a couple of centimetres clear around the edge
- Crumble the feta over onion and apple mixture
- Finally, you need to gently fold in the edges of the pastry so that the filling is safely contained but open at the top (this is the rustic bit)
- If the pastry starts to crack at this stage, you can gently massage it back into place. It’s supposed to look a bit messy (it’s rustic remember)

Bake in the oven for about 30mins at 180. I served it with roasted root vegetables, potatoes and a green salad. It is also nice with salsa verde drizzled on top (if you can be bothered to make it). Enjoy!