Caramelised Onion Tartlets

Serves: 18
Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (445g packet) Carême Sour Cream Shortcrust Pastry, defrosted
• 2 large brown onions, cut in half and finely sliced
• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 150g soft cheese 
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Method:

For the filling:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over very low heat. Once melted, add the onions, place a lid on the pan, and cook on low heat for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium, then add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the vinegar and thyme, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cook for a further 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, then transfer the onion to a plate and set aside to cool.

For the tartlets:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional).
2. Unroll the pastry, place it onto a lightly dusted work surface, then dust with flour.
3. Using an 8.5cm egg ring or pastry cutter, cut 18 circles from the pastry sheet. Press the pastry rounds into the holes of a tartlet pan, then prick each tartlet with the prongs of a fork a few times. Place into the oven and bake for 13 minutes.
4. While the tartlets are baking, combine the cheese with the beaten egg, adding the egg a teaspoon at a time until you get a dolloping consistency (e.g. avoid it being too runny).
5. Once cooked, remove the tartlets from the oven, then top each with a teaspoon of the soft cheese mixture, followed by some caramelised onion. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cheese have turned slightly golden.
6. Serving instructions
7. Sprinkle sea salt and a grind of black pepper over the top, along with any leftover thyme leaves.
8. TIP: If you don’t have a shallow tartlet baking pan, you can bake the rounds directly on a lined baking sheet.