CARAMELIZED ONION AND BLUE CHEESE MINI TARTS
On this page we love all things charcuterie and dinner. Sweet, salty, fruit or vegetable bites, we love them all. Sometimes the problem with a charcuterie board is that beautiful board of cheeses and charcuterie is not enough. That doesn’t mean the night ends there. I mean, of course, if you want the charcuterie board to be just an appetizer, its ideal, but when you want the night to be a combination of tasty but easy-to-eat things, you need to add a bit more. That’s where these mini caramelized onion and blue cheese tartlets come in.
What I like the most when I have to put together a dinner party or a night of drinks is when the recipes are easy. I think that most of the time, when hosting, what you make or serve should be the easiest thing to put together without compromising the taste and the look. You want it to look like you’ve been cooking for a week but actually make it in one afternoon. That’s where the puff pastry comes in. It is such a delicious base and add all the flavors you like.
Before we go on with this delicious recipe, I’ll link a couple of other recipes you might find interesting as well.
PARTS OF THIS RECIPE
As always, we start with the base. The base of these tartlets is puff pastry. Because I want to make my life and yours easier with these recipes, I chose store bought puff pastry. The one that you like the most from the brand that you like the most, easy as that. The only thing you are going to have to do is roll out the dough and make it a bit thinner.
On top of the dough, you are going to add caramelized onion and blue cheese. Caramelized onions take two seconds, I promise. And the blue cheese, I recommend making sure you like it a lot. It’s a cheese with a very strong flavor, so the more you like it, the more you’ll add it to the tartlets. If you are like me who loves blue cheese, you add a lot and if not, a few tiny pieces are more than enough.
Once the tartlets are baked and have cooled down a bit, you can add a bit of honey on top. Phew, you can’t imagine how amazing it tastes with honey on top as well. What I like the most is that the combination of sweet and strong cheese is amazing and it makes the perfect addition to your appetizer table.
TIPS FOR PERFECT CARAMELIZED ONION AND BLUE CHEESE TARTLETS
The dough: Puff pastry tends to puff up in the oven, as it’s name indicates. It builds layers. So, we don’t want it to be so thick when assembling because it will grow in the oven. Stretch the dough until it is a bit thinner (not too much).
The shape: I cut the dough into rectangles because it was the easiest for me. The shape is really up to you. You can make circles, squares, stars, whatever. Just make sure they are all the same size so when you bake, they cook through at the same time.
The cheese: As I mentioned before, blue cheese has a strong flavor. It has a totally creamy and smooth texture but the flavor is super strong. If you enjoy strong cheeses add a lot and if not, a few bits per tartlet will give it the flavor we want.
The color: To give the tartlets that toasty color that we want, paint them with egg wash. Assemble the tart first. Cut the dough into squares or the way you like, add some caramelized onion in the center of each square and the cheese on top. The final touch is to paint around that “filling” with egg wash. Mix a yolk with a little milk and paint the dough with it. It gives a beautiful warmth to the dough when baking.
EQUIPMENT
Chopping board: To cut the onions into slices and whatever else you need.
Rolling pin: To roll out the puff pastry.
Pizza cutter: Or the cookie cutter with the shape you want to make the tartlets in. I used the pizza cutter to make the rectangles and squares.
Measures: Tablespoons for when you make the caramelized onions.
Silicone brush: To paint the tartlets with egg wash before baking.
Baking sheet: To place them in the oven.
Silicone silpat: Or parchment paper so that they don’t stick to the baking sheet.
Bowls: For the onions and the egg wash.
