Caramelized Onion & Gruyere Tart

November 13, 2014 by Mackenzie

I cannot believe it’s mid-November – the time is flying! I only have two more full weeks of class this semester. How is that possible?! I’m not ready for this semester to be done… I feel like I’m just getting into the groove with my classes – I love the material and my professors… Gosh, it’s crazy to think I’ll be on the downhill slide of college in just a little over a month!

I registered for my final semester of classes this week. It hasn’t quite hit me that this is the end. No more pouring over course listings, no more playing with my registration worksheet – I’m set for this last semester! It’s going to be a light semester and I am so looking forward to that! That’s what your senior spring semester is supposed to be, right? 🙂 Although I’m sure I’ll be filling my spare time pouring over job listings and writing cover letters… oh, what fun!

Today I’ve got this delicious savory tart to share with you! I needed a quick and easy dish to bring to a potluck and I started day-dreaming about a tart with caramelized onions, creamy cheese and herbs while I was in class today. So I came home and created this Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Tart! It turned out wonderfully, and beautiful too! I almost wish I hadn’t brought it to the potluck because I only got a small slice and I would have loved to have more! I’ll just have to make it again!

I combined a couple of different recipes for this: the crust is from Williams Sonoma and the filling I adapted from Lovely Bits Blog. The end result was fantastic and I will definitely be making this again – it was so easy and perfect on a chilly winter night.

Caramelized Onion & Gruyere Tart

Recipe Type: Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine: Savory

Author: Mackenzie

Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 8 slices

A savory tart with a flaky crust and mouthwatering filling. It is easy to make and wonderfully shareable! You’ll amaze your guests!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3-4 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons butter
2 large vidalia (sweet) onions, halved and sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
Fresh rosemary or dried herbs

Instructions

Prepare the crust: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar just to combine. Add the butter and pulse until pea-sized pieces form. Add the water and pulse until dough comes together in a ball. Gather dough into a ball, form into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle just a little bigger than your tart pan. Carefully transfer the dough to the tart pan. Chill for another 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook onions for 8-10 minutes over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 7-10 more minutes, until onions are browned and caramelized.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush crust with egg white and spread dijon mustard over crust. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over the mustard and then top with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and finish with some fresh rosemary or dried herbs sprinkled over the top.
Bake at 425 for 17-19 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Blueberry Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich

July 5, 2014 by Mackenzie

I met somebody. Someone inspiring, someone encouraging…

Okay, I’m being dramatic. But I did meet a few people who inspired me to return to my blogging despite the challenges of few ingredients and little time or desire to cook.

See, Washington DC is just an awesome place. Especially for a foodie. There are hole-in-the-wall restaurants everywhere, new chains, and so many different neighborhoods to explore, each with its own plethora of unique restaurants! And that has unfortunately had a negative effect on both my blog and my wallet.

It’s been a lot easier to go out or just just come home to a bowl of cereal after a long day of work and a sticky walk home. But – last week I read about a food bloggers happy hour meet-up and though I would give it a shot! Despite my nervousness about talking to “real” bloggers, I had a blast! And they inspired me to get back in the kitchen and create some tasty, simple recipes.

Well this might just be the best grilled cheese sandwich I have ever had. And let me tell you, I have eaten a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches.

I could live off of grilled cheese. Actually, in the last three years I pretty much have. Freshman year and sophomore year, when I was living in the dorms, I ate the pepper jack sandwich with sweet jalapeño jelly for at least half my meals. No kidding. Then this past year, I always had bread and cheese on hand and made grilled cheese for lunch far too often.

Well, this version takes the cake. Crushed blueberries in a balsamic reduction spread over sandwich bread and topped with a sprinkling of basil and thick slices of fontina cheese. I needn’t say anything more… You better run to your kitchen and try this.

Blueberry Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Recipe adapted from Amandakbythebay
Makes 1 grilled cheese sandwich

Ingredients:

1/2 cup blueberries
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 basil leaf
2 slices of your favorite bread
Cheese, whichever kind you prefer on your grilled cheese and enough slices to melt nice and thick (need to offset the sweetness of the blueberries)

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and vinegar. Crush the blueberries with a spatula and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low, keeping a slow boil. Let boil down for 5 minutes, stirring often.

2. Butter one side of each bread slice. Pour the blueberry mixture into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juice. Strain out all the juice and spread the blueberry mixture on one (unbuttered-side) slice of bread. (The remaining syrup can be kept for something else!) Sprinkle the basil over the blueberry spread and top with cheese and the remaining slice of bread (keep buttered sides on outside!).

3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Cook the sandwich for a few minutes on each side, checking to make sure it doesn’t burn, and then enjoy the sweet goodness!

Caramelized Onion, Dijon and Gruyere Puff Pastry

February 22, 2013 by Mackenzie

My mom and Tom shared this recipe with me. They went to a dinner party with some friends of theirs and one of their friends brought this appetizer. They loved it and asked for the recipe and passed it to me! It’s shockingly simple but tasty and looks like you put a whole bunch of work into it 🙂 I brought it to a potluck and people loved it! They kept going back for more and it disappeared far too quickly!

The original recipe calls for a layer of salami but since so many of my friends are vegetarian, I switched out the salami for Caramelized onions. It worked great!

Caramelized Onions, Dijon and Gruyere Puff Pastry
Makes a 10×10 square
Recipe Adapted from a cookbook but I have no idea which one since I just have a cropped picture!

Ingredients:

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Olive oil
6 oz Gruyere cheese, grated (or whatever kind you like)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Heat oil in a shallow saucepan (enough to coat bottom). Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and caramelized. Remove from heat.

3. Meanwhile, roll out one sheet of pastry into a 10×10 square (mine came as a rolled up square). Spread mustard over the pastry, leaving a one inch border all the way around. Next, spread the onions on top of the mustard layer. Finally, spread the grated cheese on top. Brush the border with some of the egg wash.

4. Cover with second sheet of puff pastry (rolled out similarly). Pinch edges together and brush the whole thing with the remaining egg wash. Cut three large slits in the top for steam to escape and chill for 15 minutes.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until top is golden brown (mine was shorter than that). Allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve warm.

Mackenzie

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