Caramelised Balsamic And Red Onion Tarts With Goats Cheese Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Cut thawed puff pastry into six 3- to 4-inch rounds using a cookie cutter. Roll edges of each pastry slightly to form 6 small tarts. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; stir in sweet onion. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking and stirring until onion is very tender and dark brown, about 40 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and let simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Divide cooked onions between the 6 tart shells and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle goat cheese evenly on top of each tart.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle each with balsamic vinegar reduction.
• Return tarts to the oven and continue to bake until cheese is bubbly and tarts are golden brown, about 8 minutes more.

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.