Caramelized Red Onion Tarts
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. Shake it up with a SAZERAC (see page 28)
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 14 3-inch tarts
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot (see Know-how, page 100). 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.
Step 3
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 3/4-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.
Step 4
Combine the goat cheese and parsley in a small bowl, stir to soften and combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
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.
