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The following method offers a quick take on the French onion tart, converting a small amount of leftover pastry into a quick snack. Keep and combine any scraps into a round mass and roll out again whenever needed. Dough freezes beautifully in the icebox, and by skipping two time-consuming processes in the standard method – making the pastry and caramelising the onions – this version is ready in nearly half the time. Instead, the onions are cooked upside down, cooking and caramelising below a layer of pastry with salted fish and black olives for a fast, fun variation on a traditional French dish. And if you have not as much pastry, you can always cut down the ingredients.

Speedy Inverted Pissaladière Tarts

The recent wave of inverted pastries, which went viral on social media and photo-sharing apps a few years back, may have started with an appetizing and straightforward fruit and honey pastry or an inspirational pastry dish that even inspired a whole book on upside-down cooking. Personally, I’ve been having a lot of fun with flipped preparations lately, from an elongated savory tart to these fast small onion tarts. It’s a straightforward, creative way to create something that appears extra-special.

Yields 4 personal pastries

• 1 purple onion
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 small fillets (or 4, for a milder flavor)
• Pitted black olives, to taste
• 120g dough – flaky or buttery is suitable also

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Remove the skin and clean the onion, then slice into four large, cross-sections. Cover a stovetop-safe cookie sheet with baking paper, then imagine where you will put each round of onion. Pour those areas with oil and syrup, then season. Place two anchovies on top of each flavored patch and cover them with a slice of onion. Arrange a few black olives among the onions, then add with a additional olive oil, honey, seasoning and pepper.

Switch on two neighboring burners to a warm setting, put the pan on top of the rings and leave the onions to cook without moving for a short time.

At the same time, on a dusted board, flatten the sheets and trim it into four rectangles just large enough to cover each slice of onion. Precisely place one pastry rectangle on top of each piece of onion, press down along the sides with the flat side of a tool, then bake for twenty minutes, until the crust is browned. Place a serving platter on top of the baking sheet, then invert to invert the tarts on to the surface. Carefully lift off the parchment and enjoy.