 | | | Pear caramelized onion tartlet Photo Susie Iventosch
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Elaine Cable
First Place, 2011 Moraga Pear and Wine Festival
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 Bartlett pears, cored and sliced
1/2 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Your favorite pie crust recipe (can use frozen, thawed pie dough also)
4 ounces chevre (cheese) ... Elaine uses Trader Joe's goat cheese
with honey, but says you could probably use Brie**
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced rosemary (or other herb from your garden,
i.e. thyme, sage, etc.)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Melt butter and olive oil together in saute pan, over medium heat (careful not to let burn). Add sliced onion and gently "sweat" them out until translucent, about 7 minutes. Then add pear slices. Let the pear/onion mixture become soft, again, the pears will also begin to become translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*Meanwhile, roll out pie dough and use round cookie cutter to cut 12 circles for the crust. Then place each one into each of the 12 muffin cups. Crumble the chevre cheese and put aside. Turn up heat to medium high/high (depending on your stove) and begin to caramelize the mixture, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. After approximately 7-10 minutes, may add cider vinegar, then after the mixture thickens again, add rosemary. Place an even amount of pear mixture (1-2 tablespoon) into each pie dough cup in the muffin tin. Place small amount of crumbled cheese on each tartlet. Bake in preheated 375 °oven for 12-14 minutes or until crusts are browned and cheese is softened. Serve warm or room temp.
* Use a muffin tin or round cookie cutter, approximately 4 inches in diameter, to cut the pastry. Elaine uses a wine glass. I used small, fluted tart tins, so I used a smaller diameter biscuit cutter, which made at least 24 tartlets.
** I used a bit of blue cheese on top, too which worked well!
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA