Every year on the fourth Monday of November, Bern holds the Zibelemärit, its onion market, when the old town fills before dawn with stalls of braided onions and garlic, and the smell of onion tart drifts down the arcades. Zibelechueche, onion cake in Bernese dialect, is the dish of the day, sold warm in squares and wedges. Bern is the city whose Bremgarten forest circuit hosted the Swiss Grand Prix in the early championship years, so this is the regional dish of Swiss motor racing as well as of the market.

The tart is simple and generous: a short pastry, a mountain of onions cooked until soft and sweet, and a savory custard of eggs, milk and cream. It is just as good warm as at room temperature, and it slices and travels well, which makes it ideal for a picnic at the track or a long afternoon in front of the television.

The pastry

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups (200 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) cold unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) ice cold water

The onion filling

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 lb (800 g) yellow onions
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

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