Onion And Sage Tarts Recipes

ONION AND SAGE TARTS

Steps:

• 1. Caramelizing the onions. Peel the onions and cut them in half from root to tip. Cut out the dense core at the root end and slice the onions 1/4 inch thick, again from root end to tip. Cook the bacon, stirring often, in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium heat until almost crisp. Add the onions, sugar, and salt, and cook, stirring often until they cook down by two-thirds, about 10 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the onions are an even golden brown and softened to a marmalade consistency, 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the onions. Stir often and scrape up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. The onions need almost constant stirring near the end to prevent them from sticking and burning. They'll let you know they need attention by giving off a sizzling sound. Stir in the sage, allow them to cool slightly, then taste and season with black pepper and additional salt if needed. If the onions seem overly sweet, stir in another teaspoon of vinegar. (The onions can be caramelized up to 2 days ahead and store covered in the refrigerator.)
• 2. Filling and baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Stir the cream and egg into the caramelized onions until thoroughly combined. Divide the filling among the tart shells and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the upper third of the oven until the filling is set, about 15 minutes. The filling should still be soft but not runny. Let cool slightly, then transfer the tarts to a cutting board using a large spatula. Cut each into 8 wedges with the downward pressure of a sharp chef's knife. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Variations
• For large tarts, prebake 2 10-inch Free-Form Tart Shells. Divide the onion mixture between them and bake the tarts until the filling is set in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Using a large spatula, transfer them to a cutting board and cut each into 12 wedges.
• Herb Substitutions
• In place of sage, use an equal amount of finely chopped rosemary, marjoram, savory, English thyme, or lemon thyme.

ONION AND SAGE TARTS

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium heat until almost crisp; stirring often.
• Add the onions, sugar and salt; cook, stirring often until they cook down by 2/3, about 10 minute.
• Add 2 tsp vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the onions are evenly golden brown and softened to a marmalade consistency, about 15-30 min (depending on the onions).
• Stir often and scrape up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. They will need almost constant stirring near the end to prevent them from sticking and burning. They will let you know they need attention by giving off a sizzling sound.
• Stir in the sage (or other spice), and remove from the heat.
• Taste and season with black pepper and additional salt if needed. If the onions seem overly sweet, stir in another tsp of vinegar. (Onions can be stored, covered in the fridge for two days at this point.).
• Preheat the oven to 350º.
• Stir the cream and egg into the caramelized onions until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the filling among the tart shells and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.
• Bake in the upper portion of the oven until the filling is set, about 15 minute The filling should still be soft but not runny.
• Let cool slightly, then transfer the tarts to a cutting board using a large spatula.
• Cut each into 8 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ONION SAGE TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the olive oil in a large skillet and place over high heat for 1 minute. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium and then add the sugar, salt, white pepper, ground sage, chopped fresh sage and sauté, stirring frequently, until tender and nice and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place the onions in a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool slightly.
• Whisk eggs and cream together and mix into the onions. Put the sheets of puff pastry onto baking sheets, dock with a fork, and spread the onion mixture evenly onto the surface. Place in the oven 20 to 30 minutes, until bottom is golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool 15 minutes and slice into 2-inch squares. Arrange on a decorative platter and garnish with fresh sage leaves.

CARAMELISED BALSAMIC AND RED ONION TARTS WITH GOATS' CHEESE

Steps:

• 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. You can also watch how to chop onions in our Cookery School Video on this page. 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.