Balsamic Onion Mushroom Blue Cheese Tarts Food

CARAMELIZED ONION, MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a mandolin or super-sharp knife, cut onion into paper thin slices. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat; add onion and saute until caramelized. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until they release all their liquid and most of it boils away, should take about 5 minutes. Combine caramelized onions with mushrooms and saute together briefly; season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat.
• Unfold puff pastry onto a floured surface; cut in half lengthwise to form 2 long rectangles. Gently roll out each rectangle to approximately 5 by 14 inches and place on cookie sheet. Trim edges by 1/4-inch strips all around; set strips aside. Break 1 egg into a small bowl; beat slightly. Brush edges of pastry with some of the egg. Use trimmed strips to make a raised border on each. Brush entire surface with remaining beaten egg. Prick the interior of pastry all over with a fork. Bake until pale gold, about 10 minutes. If pastry has puffed up inside edge, press it down gently. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, combine remaining eggs with 6 ounces goat cheese and blend until smooth. Spread the mixture onto pastry. Return to oven and bake just until set, about 4 minutes. Add the thyme to the mushroom mixture. Remove cookie sheet from oven and spread with thyme-mushroom mixture. Crumble remaining cheese on top. Just before serving, broil tarts on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until tarts are warm and cheese softens.

BALSAMIC ONION, MUSHROOM & BLUE CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put a pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter.
• Once the butter starts to froth, put the thinly sliced red onions in and turn the heat down to low.
• Cook, stirring often, until the onions have become translucent. This will take about 10 minutes but keep an eye on them.
• Add the sugar and the balsamic vinegar to the onions and cook on low, stirring often for about 10 minutes until the onion mixture is sticky and the liquid thickened up.
• Set the onions aside to cool.
• Melt the remaining butter in another pan and cook the mushrooms for a few minutes until they have just started to change color.
• Set the mushrooms aside to cool.
• Whilst the onions and mushrooms are cooling, layout your pie dough. You want the dough to be about as thick as a pinkie. If your pre-rolled dough is thicker roll it out to the desired thickness.
• Using a round cookie cutter or a glass, cut out 12 rounds of the dough.
• Press each round of dough into a hole of a 12 yield muffin tin. If your pan usually sticks, spray each hole with cooking spray before hand.
• Next, put the egg and sour cream into a bowl with the salt and pepper and beat together.
• Stir through the dried parsley and crumbled blue cheese. Set aside.
• Spoon a bit of the balsamic onions into the base of each tart.
• Top the onions with the mushrooms, trying to cover as much of the surface as possible.
• Spoon the blue cheese mixture over the top of each tart.
• Put tarts in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the pastry has gone golden and the cheese mixture has set.
• Take out of the oven and allow to cool before serving so the cheese mixture can firm up a little bit.

CARAMELISED ONION TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Slide a baking sheet in to heat. Roll the pastry out enough to line a deep 20cm flan tin or a shallow 23cm one. Chill for 10 mins.
• Put a few balls of crumpled foil in the base of the pastry case and bake on the baking sheet for 10 mins. Remove the foil and bake for 5 mins more, until light golden.
• Meanwhile, cook the onions in the oil until starting to soften, then add thyme, pepper, and salt if you want to. Cook slowly for about 15 mins until the onions are soft and tinged brown.
• Beat the eggs, beat in the milk and half the cheese and some pepper. Spread the onions over the flan case and pour in the egg mix. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake the tart on the baking sheet for 30-40 mins until the filling is firm and golden, and the pastry crisp. Serve warm or cold.