Author Notes: Unsure of where I got the original recipe – it included blue cheese and did not blind bake the puff pasty. —baber
Makes: 1 tart the size of a piece of puff pastry and approximately dense enough to feed a small group of adults or many wee children
Ingredients
-
1
box puff pastry (2 square sheets)
-
5
pounds sweet onions (Vidalia, Walla Walla, etc)
-
4
tablespoons butter
-
1
teaspoon salt
-
1
teaspoon sugar
-
10-20
sprigs thyme
-
4-6
ounces sliced (thick or thin) proscuitto
-
6-12
ounces goat cheese
-
black pepper
Directions
- preheat oven to 350, start defrosting the puff pastry, soften goat cheese
- peel all the onions
- cut each onion in half pole-to-pole (not equatorially) – ie, pick an end and cut through to the other end, not through the middle
- cut the non-root end off each onion
- thinly slice the onions – do your best (uniformity isn’t always ideal – a slight variety in size in this case can improve the dish. just don’t make the slices too big [keep under 1/4 inch])….[tip – use your sharpest knife & wear contact lenses to avoid tearing up]
- melt the butter in a tall pot over medium heat
- add all the sliced onions (it should mostly fill the pot though you should be able to reach down to the bottom with a wooden spoon to stir)
- add salt and sugar
- cook on medium while stirring every few minutes (every time bottom onions start to brown NOT burn) until volume has reduced by at least 50%.
- reduce heat to low and keep an eye on the onions for the next 2-3 hours, stirring every 5-10 minutes – you’re looking for onion jam basically. The smaller cuts will have mostly disintegrated into a delicious onion goo and the larger bits will be well browned w/ a bit of tooth still left in them.
- while the onions cook, dice the proscuitto and strip the leaves from the thyme (reserve both) [make sure you continually scrape up the good bits at the bottom. ps – don’t flippin burn the onions!!!]
- vigorously poke the puff pastry with a fork & bake as directed on box
- when onions are completely caramelized (deep, dark brown and approximately 2-3 cups worth), add thyme, proscuitto and salt & pepper to taste
- place one sheet of puff pastry on cutting board, spoon onion mixture and spread to within 1″ of the edge
- evenly apply strips of goat cheese on top of the onions [cut a slit in the goat cheese wrapper, grab ahold of the whole tube & squeeze it through your clenched fingers – takes some getting used to but totally worth it…. oddly satisfying too]
- place second sheet of puff pastry on top and apply pressure to ooze onions to nearly the edge
- slice and serve [serrated knife] – sprinkle some excess thyme on top for garnish. nicely paired with simple greens & light vinaigrette as a small meal or in little pieces as a side dish [warning – the latter can get a bit messy if you try to cut the puff pastry too small – you can use something else instead of puff pastry… if you dare]