Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, & Goat Cheese Tart

I love caramelized onions. And mushrooms. And goat cheese. So I thought, why not put them all on top of a puff pastry base? Best. Idea. Ever. I swear, I could eat the whole thing by myself. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, savory caramelized onions and tangy, creamy goat cheese. Caramelizing onions might sound scary, but it’s pretty easy (and quick!) to do for this tart, since you only need to caramelize a few!

Ingredients

• Onions: I used one large sweet onion, but you could also use a white onion.
• Shallots: 2 shallots add depth and flavor to the onion; you caramelize them together!
• Balsamic vinegar: This adds complexity to the caramelized onions.
• Butter
• Brown sugar: To aid in caramelization and add flavor.
• Mushrooms
• Goat cheese: I use a log of fresh goat cheese and crumble it myself, instead of buying pre-crumbled goat cheese. I find that the goat cheese sold in a log is creamier and tastier!
• Puff pastry: Frozen store-bought puff pastry works great here! Make sure to defrost it before you plan to use it!

Making the Tart

In general, making a puff pastry tart is pretty simple: you prep the toppings, spread them on a rolled-out sheet of puff pastry, and bake until golden! In this case, the toppings take a bit more time, since they should be cooked until beautifully caramelized. First, you’ll slice the mushrooms and sweat them out in a pan. Then, add the sliced onion and shallot, brown sugar, butter, and balsamic vinegar, and let it cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes or until nicely caramelized. Caramelizing onions takes a while, but be patient, and keep your heat low - it’s worth it, I promise. Caramelized onions taste like heaven on earth. Once your onions are a beautiful golden color, you can crumble up some fresh goat cheese over the puff pastry, and top it with the mushrooms and onions, then bake!

Tips

• If you don’t have goat cheese or don’t like goat cheese, I think a nice thick creme fraiche would be a good substitute.
• Be patient when caramelizing onions! It takes a bit, but it’s definitely worth it. Just make sure not to get impatient and turn the heat too high – this will just make them burn.
• It helps to grease or flour your baking sheet before putting the puff pastry on top, to keep it from sticking.

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, & Goat Cheese Tart

A savory tart with the perfect blend of flavors!

Prep Time: 40 min	Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr	Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 12 oz white mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 oz goat cheese (half of an 8 oz log), crumbled
• 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sweat mushrooms in a pan over high heat, stirring every so often, until the released liquid has evaporated and beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
3. Add butter, onions, and shallots, and saute until translucent.
4. Add sugar and balsamic vinegar. Lower heat to medium-low and cook until onions are golden brown and caramelized, stirring every few minutes.
5. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry into a square. Crumble goat cheese on top, and spoon caramelized onions and mushrooms over that, leaving a strip around the edges bare of toppings (this will be the crust of the tart.)
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden and puffed.
7. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is vegetarian.