Onion, Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

....in a word...delicious!  Y'all know I picked all those onions a few weeks ago and I'm constantly searching for new ways to use them.  I also had some beautiful beefsteak tomatoes that I bought at a local farm stand a couple of days ago.  Well, I found this recipe from my favorite chef, Ina Garten, and I tweaked it a little (not much) to suit my taste and made it for dinner last night.  It was wonderful!   It's one of those recipes that is easily adapted to individual taste and to what one has in one's pantry...my favorite kind of recipe :)  You should try this one.

Onion, Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
Good extra virgin olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar (you could deglaze with white wine)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano Regianno cheese, plus a few additional shavings
2 ounces garlic & herb goat cheese (you could use blue cheese, mozzarella or feta)
1 large beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 thick slices
2 tablespoons julienned basil leaves (you could use more fresh thyme, but I like the basil :)

Preheat oven to 425

Unfold pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly into an 11 x 11 inch square.  Using a 6-wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding scraps.  Place pastry circles on sheet pan lined with parchment and refrigerate until ready to use.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and heat to medium.  Add onions and saute until very soft, stirring frequently, until there is almost no moisture remaining in skillet.  This could take 30-45 minutes.  Stir in salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and thyme and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes until the onions are nicely caramelized.  Remove from heat.

 

Using a sharp pairing knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle.  Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/2 of the onion mixture on each circle, staying within the scored edge.  Crumble one ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions.  Place 2 tomato slices in the center of each tart.  Drizzle the tomato slices with a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper.  Finally, scatter a few shards of Parmigiano cheese on each tart.

 

Bake 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.  Serve hot or warm, delicious either way!

I served them along side scallops that I quickly pan seared, with a lemon butter sauce.

Buon Appetito!