Have a Happy Holiday all!
Onion Tart
- -1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator
- -2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- -3 large Vidalia onions or other sweet variety, thinly sliced
- -4 thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
- -Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- -1/3 cup good quality beef stock
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
On a work surface, roll the puff pastry into a roughly 10 by 16-inch rectangle. With a sharp knife, trim uneven edges to make a perfect rectangle. Evenly cut off the outer 1 inch of each side of the rectangle in strips; put the puff sheet on the baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and run around the top edges of the rectangle and replace the removed strips of pastry along the edges of the sheet, pressing lightly to adhere. With a fork, pierce the interior of the tart shell to prevent rising; do not pierce the adhered edges. Bake until the outer edges have puffed and are golden in color; about 15 minutes. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and thyme sprigs and season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown. Add the stock, a tablespoon at a time, as the pan gets dry, scraping and stirring the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom oft the pan. When the onions are caramelized to a dark golden color, remove from the heat and discard the leafless thyme sprigs (the leaves fall off while cooking).
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Evenly spread the caramelized onions on the cooked pastry shell and heat in the oven until warmed through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven, to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Arrange on a serving platter and garnish each wedge with a sprig of fresh thyme. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 100 or so pearl onions, unpeeled (from 3 10-ounce bags)
- 2 1/2 ounces bacon (applewood-smoked is suggested), cut into a small dice
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 1/2 bunch chives, cut into 1/2-inch segments
- Kosher salt, to taste
Blanch the pearl onions for 3 minutes in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain, shock in a bath of ice water, and drain again. Peel the onions (making a slit with a paring knife down the side made this easiest for me), leaving a little of the root end intact.
In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Leave only two tablespoons of the cooking fat in the pan, and add the pearl onions, heavy cream and nutmeg. Add salt to taste.
Cover the pot with a lid, leaving it a little ajar. Cook onions until they are nearly cooked through, about 90 percent of the way then remove the lid and finish cooking the onions while reducing the cream by half. Stir in the sherry.
If your onions are done cooking before the cream has sufficiently reduced or if you’re unsure about the alcohol in the sherry, remove the onions with a slotted spoon and transfer them to your serving dish. Continue cooking the remaining sauce to the desired consistency and taste and pour it back over the onions.
Garnish with bacon and chives and don’t forget to share.
Ingredients
- 1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookies
- 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1/2 cup red and green candy-coated chocolate candies
- 1/2 cup hot fudge topping, heated, if desired
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-inch pizza pan with shortening, or spray with cooking spray. In pan, break up cookie dough into pieces and press out dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Sprinkle marshmallows and candies evenly over crust. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed. Drizzle hot fudge topping over top. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
