Thursday, December 30, 2010

Caramelized Onion & Apple Tarts

We made these delectable little tarts as an appetizer for our Thanksgiving dinner at school, and I thought they'd be a nice way to start this off. I found the recipe on lol foodie, adapted it a bit for practicality, and they were greeeat! The flavors of the apple and onion go surprisingly well together, and they are a light and fluffy appetizer. I made these again twice at home over winter break - once as an appetizer for my sister's birthday dinner and again as something to bring along to a potluck party. They are easy to make, delicious, and unique.

To start, you need:
  • 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
  • 2 tbs butter
  • half of a large onion
  • 2 apples (Granny Smith or another tart variety)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3c cheese (your choice, in the image I used mozzarella), shredded
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp salt
To start, chop up the apple and onion. Then, you melt the butter on low in a saute pan. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook for five minutes before adding the apple as well. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, until the onion is caramelized to a golden brown and the apple. Then add the remaining salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and oil a baking sheet. Cut the baking sheet into 3 strips, and then cut each strip into three squares. Cut each square diagonally down the middle so you have 18 right triangles.

Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the apple-onion mixture onto each triangle, and add a little bit of cheese and a dash of thyme onto each as well. Bake for 15-20 minutes and enjoy!