RED WINE CARAMELISED ONION AND GOATS’ CHEESE TARTLETS

by Sam Linsell of Drizzle and Dip

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

3 onions, thinly sliced

3 T olive oil

1 C red wine

3 T brown sugar

3 – 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and a few extra sprigs for garnishing each tart

salt and black pepper

2 sheets puff pastry, 23c x 23cms (1 pack of Woolies all butter puff)

splash of milk to brush the pastry rim

200 g goats’ cheese, 25 g per tartlet

METHOD

1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions over a low heat until softened but not browned, about 15 minutes.
2. Add half the red wine and deglaze the pan, allowing all the liquid to cook off.
3. Add the sugar, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Add the remainder of the red wine and once again continue cooking and stirring until the liquid has cooked off.
5. Place your puff pastry sheets on a floured surface and cut out the circles to desired size. You could also cut the pastry into 4 x squares. This way you better optimise the pastry sheet with no wastage through offcuts. This recipe makes 8 tartlets that are 8cm in diameter.
6. Score the inside of the pastry with a small cookie cutter or a knife, but don’t cut all the way through, to make a small rim.
7. Brush the rim of each case lightly with milk, or and egg and milk mix (I find the egg just makes it a little darker but isn’t entirely necessary) and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180°C for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and press down on the inner circle piece so that it drops down, it should come away where you have scored it, and fill each pastry case with the caramelised onion.
9. Top with the goats’ cheese (you can either crumble this or cut into discs), scatter over fresh thyme leaves and return to the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes.