Goats Cheese Caramelised Onion Tart Food

ONION & GOAT'S CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles and place on a baking sheet. Mark a border 1cm in from the edge of the pastry with a sharp knife. Spoon the onions into the middle, smooth then top with the cheese and thyme. Drizzle with oil and bake for 15-20 mins, until the cheese has melted and the pastry has risen and is golden brown.
• For the onions: Makes 600g, which is 3 batches. Prep time 5 mins, cook time 30 mins. Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan and stir through the onions. Cover with a lid and cook gently for about 10 mins, until softened. Remove lid, add sugar, then cook 15-20 mins, stirring, until all of the liquid has evaporated and onions have turned golden. Divide into 3 batches to make the recipes, right. Will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add the oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the onions, sugar, and salt, to taste. Cook until the onions begin to brown. Adjust the heat to low and cook slowly, turning often, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the onions from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a bowl combine the goat cheese, egg, cream, and thyme. Pour the mixture into a small resealable plastic food storage bag. Snip off a corner of the bag to use it for piping.
• Lay the pie crusts out flat on a clean surface and with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter cut out 12 circles from each crust. Press them into the cups of the mini-muffin tin. Fill each cup 1/2 way with the cooled onions. Pipe the cheese mixture on top of the onions, filling the cups. Bake the tarts until the filling is set, about 15 to 20 minutes. Let the tarts cool slightly, and then remove them from the muffin tin and serve.

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.

GOATS CHEESE & CARAMELISED ONION TART

Steps:

• Prepare 2 tomatoes (halved) by roasting them in the oven on baking paper, until semi-soft, about 30 minutes.
• In the meantime sauté onions until soft. Add 3 tablesspoons of balsamic vinegar and all the sugar and cook until the liquid has reduced and onions are soft and caramelised.
• While onions are cooking cut puff pastry sheets in half to form 4 triangle. Trim the triangle by 1cm and place the 1cm strips around the very edge of the triangles to form a 'case' for the filling. Use a little cooking spray on the edge to bond the pastry.
• Place the puff pastry in the oven and brown very slightly 5-10 minutes (place on rack under the tomatoes).
• Arrange saute onions evenly on the semi-cooked pastry. followed by chunks of roasted tomato and goats cheese on top.
• Bake at 200ºC in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until pastry is crisp golden.
• Toss salad leaves and sliced cucumber with remaining balsmic vinegar (& a little olive oil if desired).
• Arrange mixed salad on a plate and position the cooked pastry next to the salad.
• I always add a splash more of the balsmic vinegar to the recipe when serving, as it gives the whole meal a wonderful flavour and compiments the onion and tomato beautifully!

CARAMELISED ONION, GOAT CHEESE & THYME TARTS

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 435°F
• Melt half the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.
• Add the onions and cook for 25-30 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the sugar, balsamic vinegar, Thyme and Garlic Granules. Leave to cool.
• Melt the remaining butter. Unroll the pastry sheets and cut each one into four. In a patty tin, layer two quarters on top of each other, brushing lightly with butter between the sheets and on top.
• Spoon 1/4 of the onions into the centre and set aside.
• Repeat with the remaining pastry and onions to make 4 tarts. Place a slice of cheese on top of the onions on each tart. Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with butter.
• Chill for 30 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the cheese is melting. Serve with a few salad leaves.

CARAMELISED BALSAMIC AND RED ONION TARTS WITH GOATS' CHEESE

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).
• You will also need eight 3½ inch (9 cm) diameter x 1 inch (2.5 cm) high mini flan tins, greased, and a 5 inch (13 cm) pastry cutter or plate to cut around.
• First make up the pastry by rubbing the butter lightly on to the flour, then adding the cheese, mustard and cayenne plus just enough cold water to make a smooth dough. Then place the dough in a polythene bag to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After that, roll it out as thinly as possible and use a 5 inch (13 cm) cutter, or a saucer or something similar, to stamp out 8 rounds. Line the greased tins with them, then bake in the oven, centre shelf, for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is cooked through but not coloured. Then cool the pastry cases on a wire rack and store them in an airtight tin until they are needed.
• To make the filling, melt the butter in a heavy-based, medium-sized saucepan, stir in the onions, balsamic vinegar and chopped sage, season and let everything cook very gently without a lid, stirring often, for about 30 minutes until they have reduced down and taken on a lovely glazed appearance and all the excess liquid has evaporated away. Then let the mixture cool until you are ready to make the tarts.
• To bake them, brush a little beaten egg on to each pastry case, pop them back into the oven, same temperature as above, for 5 minutes - this helps to provide a seal for the pastry and helps it from becoming soggy. Now spoon the onion mixture into the cases. Top each one with a slice of goats' cheese and a sage leaf that has first been dipped into olive oil. Finally sprinkle with a little cayenne and bake for 20 minutes.