Goat's Cheese & Caramelised Red Onion Tartlettes with Thyme

I adore cheese and these little Goat's Cheese Tartlettes are so delicious. Now if your not too keen on Goat's cheese these will work equally as well with some lovely strong cheddar or a mixture of cheddar & gruyere. You could use basil or oregano in place of the thyme.

The pastry is the one I make for virtually everything. It's a lovely rich & crumbly shortcrust. Be really kind to it. Don't overmix or overhandle it, be kind & gentle to it,  keep it  cool until baking and it will be just fabulous.

This recipe will make 12 x3" tartlettes or 24x 1.5" or even 1 large 8/9" tart.


To make around 12 tartlettes or 1 large 10" Quiche



Pastry:-
2oz butter
2oz vegetable shortening or lard
8oz plain flour
1oz grated cheddar
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1 beaten egg to bind. perhaps a little water may be needed as well
Filling:-
2 red onions finely sliced
1 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
2 tsps brown sugar
1 oz butter
200 gm soft goats cheese
50 gms Boursin
2 large eggs
1/4pt double cream
few sprigs of thyme chopped
seasoning
grated nutmeg
Make the pastry by rubbing the fat with the flour until the breadcrumb stage, add the cheese & beaten egg & cayenne pepper, bring together & add a little water if necessary. Leave to rest for around 30 mins in the fridge before rolling out quite thinly.
Line the well greased tartlette tray (I quite often use a muffin tray for this) with the pastry. Pop back in the fridge to firm up.
Meanwhile fry the onions in the butter gently until soft, add the vinegar & sugar and continue to cook until caramelised.
Beat the eggs, add the crumbled cheeses and cream mix through. Add the thyme a few grinds of pepper & salt. Mix the cooled onions in.
Add to the pastry cases. Don't be tempted to overfill if you've too much mixture. Sprinkle over a little grated nutmeg. Place the tartlettes on a hot preheated oven tray & bake 200c for around 15 mins, turn down to 160c for another 10 mins or so until the pastry is golden brown. Just test to make sure the filling is set and the pastry at the bottom is cooked through. Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tins.