Tomato and (random) Cheese Tarts

It's time for another installment by the Barefoot Bloggers! This week, Anne chose an AMAZING Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart recipe. This was so fabulous!



Don't get me wrong, I love goat cheese. But since I had a variety of other cheeses on hand, I decided it would be a better idea to use those up first. Well, it just so happens that I had FOUR cheeses and FOUR tarts to make. Let's do a sampler!

The original recipe can be found here, but below you can see my changes:

Ingredients:

• 1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
  Good olive oil
• 4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions) I used 1 and half onions because that's all I had!
• 3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler Yeah, I actually just used shredded parm... the kind you use to top a pizza :)
• 4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese I used four cheeses! Check it out below to see what kinds
• 1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
• 3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves I ommitted because I didn't have any. I used a few shakes of Italian seasoning at the end instead

Directions:

• Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.
• Using a sharp paring 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 grated Parmesan (I used shredded, bagged parm) on each round, staying inside the scored border.
• Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese (or a fun variety!) on top of the onions.
• 

Okay from top left working around in a clockwise motion we have just more shredded parmesan, bleu cheese, light french onion Laughing Cow cheese, light garlic and herb Laughing Cow cheese!

• Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil (I sprinkled Italian seasoning), salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart (I ommitted this step).
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot or warm.

And for the results?

The shredded parm seemed to burn quickly, just like the pizza in my blog header. The bleu cheese looked a little greasy as the cheese bubbled but both of the Laughing Cow cheeses looked great!

The verdict? Laughing Cow garlic and herb tart was the winner! Although the bleu cheese and french onion were also fabulous. As for the parmesan, well, I was just too full after picking at the other three to even give it a try!

CHOMP.