Little Round Things
I attended a gathering of some Personal Chefs this past weekend. At first we were going to have a wine tasting but there weren’t enough of us to make the fee of the visiting chef worth the fee. So we winged it.

I wanted to make something worthy of the wine tasting, something more upscale. I love pastries both sweet and savory. Since I thought wine of both colors were going to be sampled, I would use cheese. I am lactose intolerant but I seem to fare well with goat cheese. I love the creaminess and the tartness to it so it fit my taste bud’s bill.

I am not a great crust maker; mine are either too thin and over baked or too tough. I am still a work in progress. So here they are.


Onion & Goat Cheese Tartlets
The Perfect Party Food Book, published by Lorenz Books
Crust
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 TBS butter
2 ounces aged goat cheese or cheddar cheese, grated

Filling
2-3 TBS olive oil
4 onions, finely chopped
1 ½ cups fresh goat cheese
3 eggs, beaten
2 TBS light cream or half and half
4 ounces aged goat cheese, grated
2 TBS tarragon, finely chopped (fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs, then stir in the grated cheese. Add enough, cold water to makes a dough. Knead lightly, wrap in plastic and chill in the fridge. Preheat the over to 375.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 16-20 round to fit tiny tart pan. Prick the bases with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until firm but not browned. Remove the pastry shells and lower the oven to 350.

Make the filling. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the chopped onions over low heat for 20-25 minutes, until they are golden brown. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning.

Beat the fresh goat cheese in a bowl, then add the eggs, cream aged goat cheese and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the fried onions.

Divide the mixture among the pastry shells. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.