Epicurean Bliss

This morning, a good friend asked me if I could recommend a delicious appetizer recipe that she could make to impress her soon-to-be in-laws. One recipe immediately came to mind, so I suggested it, but when she asked if she could find it on my blog, I realized it wasn’t here!

 

French Onion Tartlettes are one of those great go-to appetizers; they’re easy, you can make parts of them ahead of time, and they’re always decadent and delicious. I was first introduced to these when Adam made them for me two years ago for our “French” themed Valentine’s dinner, and have been going back to them ever since. Since these are such a staple in my cooking repertoire, I wanted to share them with you – these would make a great starter for Easter, or any other special occasion you have coming up this Spring!

 

After you read the recipe, you’ll see that the puff pastry base for these tartlettes can be topped with just about anything – from brie and Bartlett pears, to gorgonzola, figs and bacon, or sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella. This recipe is super easy to adapt and customize – you could even make a spread of several different types of tartlettes for one occasion!   Enjoy

 

 

French Onion Tartlettes - Makes 24 3″ Tartlettes

 

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

2. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and thyme sprigs and season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown. Add the stock, a tablespoon at a time, as the pan gets dry, scraping and stirring the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom oft the pan. When the onions are caramelized to a dark golden color, remove from the heat and discard the leafless thyme sprigs (the leaves fall off while cooking).

3. While onions are caramelizing (or afterwards) roll out two sheets of puff pastry to 1/8 inch thickness (or a 10″ x 16″ square). Using a glass or a round cookie cutter, cut out 3″ – 4″ circles in the dough. Discard the scraps. With a fork, pierce the center of each circle to prevent rising; do not pierce the  edges. Bake until the outer edges have puffed and are very lightly golden in color (slightly UNDERCOOKED); about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside.

4. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a small heap of the caramelized onions in the center of each  pastry shell, top with some grated gruyere and bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Serve immediately and enjoy!