Caramelized garlic tart from Plenty (page 38) by Yotam Ottolenghi

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Ingredients

caster sugar
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thyme
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

heidi_ijgwa2 on May 31, 2026

Lot of work, but incredible flavor. This tart fresh from the oven while pastry was still crisp and cheese melty made me swoon…. It was also delicious a day or two later eaten cold. Would absolutely make again (and again). It is very rich.
mallorie_7djucm on May 08, 2026

This tasted amazing! Everyone loved it and it’s even good as leftovers.
sophie_lfm61y on April 06, 2026

Pretty good, but not sure it would be a repeat. As others noted the caramelizagion of the garlic took a bit longer, I also had to add a bit more water/sugar/balsamic to achieve proper caramelization and some kind of syrup - that being said the garlic was delicious. The puff pastry in the tart shell wasn’t that successful to me, maybe I rolled it too thin but it didn’t get the color I was hoping for. The filling cooked, but was still so liquidy when I cut into it, didn’t hold together at all. Willing to say this was probably my error though (used a smaller tart pan and still the amounted goat cheese). Also needed more salt. Next time I’d probably just make a quiche with the caramelized garlic and goat cheese, along with a pie crust instead of the puff pastry.
cecilia_4eimgd on January 25, 2026

Not a fan of super goaty cheese so swapped one for mozzarella. I also added chipotle chilli flakes. Water in garlic syrup took longer than expected to boil out. I might add a 4th head of garlic next time.
Schooffiecooks on December 31, 2025

One of my favorites from Plenty!
London_Mummy on December 25, 2025

Everyone loves this tart. Even the people on a low-fat diet, on a high-protein mission, or who usually dislike garlic, make an exception for it. I always have to simmer the garlic longer than the recipe says & I always have to add 3 tbs of caster sugar to achieve caramelisation.
London_Mummy on October 10, 2025

This very rich, gorgeous tart has been our vegetarian Christmas dinner centrepiece for many years. Fortunately, it became a tradition that the children would peel all the garlic for me, because it is a laborious recipe.
DePollepel on August 27, 2021

very special flavour, like a quiche with salad
myriaderf on August 23, 2020

I do believe this recipe is worth the effort (but maybe only occasionally...)! It is much easier if you can get your hands on pre-peeled garlic, saves a lot of time.
MilduraSO on May 16, 2020

This is really rich but works well with a salad on the side. I absolutely love the caramelised garlic and have since used them for other recipes. To peel the garlic quickly I throw the cloves in a large lidded metal bowl and shake like a crazy woman for about 20-30 seconds.
KaraCooks on February 14, 2020

This tart is divine!!! I didn't change a thing and just pure deliciousness.
Shelmar on September 05, 2019

Takes a long time (peeling garlic), but tastes really good. Good enough that we remade it (with an extra head of garlic) the next week.
pattyatbryce on January 14, 2019

Amazing dish. Definitely one to make annually.
TechSkirt on December 26, 2018

Took this to a Christmas gathering and it was a huge hit. Well worth the effort - I think I've made this 6 or 7 times and each time it has been great. Caramelizing the garlic takes a bit longer than in the directions and I've learned through several rounds of it to cut the garlic into smaller 'slices' for it to work well. As others have mentioned it's too rich and time consuming for an everyday meal but for a special occasion this is perfect.
e_ballad on July 18, 2018

I’d agree that this is a very nice tart, but wow, what a lot of faffing about to get there. I had similar issues with caramelisation as mentioned by other reviewers. Whilst we enjoyed it, it’s doubtful that this will get a repeat outing at our place.
raybun on June 18, 2017

A great tart for summer and picnics. Paired with a salad it's a substantial meal. Easy to make ahead too.
coryelizabeth on June 06, 2017

Hate to be the contrarian here, but I thought this was just okay. The tart is quite rich -- almost too rich -- and the garlic fades into the background. This recipe is also quite time-consuming: it took a ton of work to peel the garlic alone. A nice dish, but not for when you're very hungry (it's too rich to eat much in one sitting) or want a simple dinner.
finebec on May 02, 2017

Made the recipe from the Guardian original version with Caramelized squash and got kudos. The grown-up kids named it the best dish they ever had. Definitely big bang for the buck. Agree with earlier comments that the richness makes it go a long way in terms of the number of portions.
RosieB on May 14, 2015

I have made this tart three times now. It is so delicious. There are a lot of garlic cloves to peel but I used the method of cutting both ends off and then shaking them in a bottle. They were done in no time. I used the purple garlic which caramelised beautifully but did not give me much syrup. I made it recently for a lunch served with an Ottolenghi salad of french beans, mange tout and hazelnuts. My guests went back for seconds! They all loved it.
debkellie on March 17, 2015

I used some great new season garlic which had giant cloves (size of a shallot). It caramelised beautifully and was just the right texture, but the puff pastry case seems a little redundant, adding nothing other than flakiness (and extra fat). Next time I'll substitute a sour cream shortcrust, yes there will be a next time.
MmeFleiss on January 14, 2015

Spectacular, but very rich. You really can only eat a little at a time. The random mouthfuls of caramelized garlic was always a pleasant surprise.
Rutabaga on November 09, 2014

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I found this tart in need of some tweaks to reach its full potential. The garlic cloves I had were very large, and even cut in half they didn't all caramelize fully. To get them like in the book photo, sautee them until nicely browned before adding water for the second time. The tart was also incredibly rich, and while my three-year-old loved it, I found it a little much. Maybe half-and-half, or even whole milk, could be substituted for the heavy cream? As noted in the directions, I tore both cheeses into chunks, but it would be better to grate the hard cheese, as the chunks did not melt into the filling. Due to time constraints, I had to cut into the tart while it was still fairly hot, which meant the filling was practically liquid. I also used just one large duck egg, and baked it in a nine inch pie plate rather than a tart pan, which may have affected the set. I used pie pastry instead of puff pastry, which was a reasonable substitute.
oddkitchen on January 07, 2013

I couldn't agree more with Emily Hope's note: a spectacular veg entree that's worth the effort and calories. Our tastebuds lobbied hard to convince us to eat the whole thing in one sitting (thankfully, we resisted -- and enjoyed leftovers for the next day's lunch).
mfto on August 08, 2011

p 38 US - the online recipe at the Guardian is slightly different from the one in US edition - Martha Stewart has the recipe at http://www.marthastewart.com/344169/caramelized-garlic-tart along with a video of Chef Ottolenghi making the tart.
Emily Hope on November 18, 2010

This was absolutely delicious. As I recall, I found the instructions for caramelizing the garlic a bit confusing--I ended up cooking it for longer than the recipe says to get the rawness out, and didn't really end up with any sauce as they say there will be. Nevertheless, a pretty spectacular veg entree and worth the effort (and calories). Served for a dinner party with starter of Deb Madison's sungold soup, side of long-roasted tomatoes and peppers (a good match), an arugula/fennel/walnut salad, and David Lebovitz's ginger cake.