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Caramelized Red Onion Tarts

Source of Recipe

From "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen" by Sara Foster


Recipe Introduction

"I make these sweet and savory tarts all year round as a first course or served with a salad as a light lunch. The onions take on a lovely blushing red color when they caramelize."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 tablespoon olive oil
â—¦ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rounds
â—¦ 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
â—¦ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm or Dufour Pastry Kitchens, thawed in the refrigerator
â—¦ 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled soft goat cheese
â—¦ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot. Add the onions, vinegar, sugar, and rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are caramelized. Remove from the heat to cool slightly.

While the onions are cooking, flatten the pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll several times, smoothing out the folds, to create a 12-inch square. Cut into 3-inch rounds using a biscuit or round cookie cutter. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and, using a 2 ¾-inch round cutter, make an indented border on the cut pastry rounds, being careful not to cut all the way through. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Combine the goat cheese and parsley in a small bowl, stir to soften and combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake the pastry rounds for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, depress and remove the top layer of the puffed centers with a small knife, and spread a heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of each. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes more, until the pastry is golden brown and puffy and the cheese is warm. Remove from the oven and top each tart with 3 or 4 rings of the caramelized onions. Serve warm.

Makes about fourteen 3-inch tarts



• Cat's Note:
As a variation or for a change of pace, I bet these little tarts would also be delicious using the same amount of Gruyère cheese in place of the goat cheese.