Easy Recipes from The Pot Rack – November 2021

Call it an appetizer for a holiday gathering. Call it a side dish on your Thanksgiving table. Call it a game day lunch bite… I call it delicious! So easy and yet decadent with our local cheese celebrity stealing the show. How lucky are we to call Rogue Creamery our own?

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, defrost in the fridge for a few hours prior to use

4 cups sliced onions–about 3 medium onions (combo of red and white)

2 Tblsp good olive oil

1 Tblsp brown sugar

2 Tblsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 Tblsp fresh thyme leaves (stems removed)

3 oz Rogue Creamery Blue cheese of your choice (the choices are ALL so good!)

1 egg

Cracked black pepper

Instructions

  • Slice the onion nice and thin (about a 1/4 inch). Using a mandoline makes for fast work with uniform slices.
  • Heat the oil in a large deep pan on medium high eat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook them down for about ten minutes. Stir often until they are a golden brown color.
  • Add the sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the onions are rich and caramelized. If the onions appear to be drying out, just add a touch of water and stir. You don’t want them soggy but you don’t want them to burn. .
  • Roll one sheet of defrosted puff pastry into a rectangle (10X15) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a paring knife, lightly score a line about 1/2 an inch from the edge all the way around. Now prick the inside of the rectangle all over with a fork every two inches or so.
  • Top the pastry up to that scored edge evenly with the caramelized onions.
  • Dot the onions with blue cheese and sprinkle on the thyme leaves.
  • Beat the egg and lightly brush on the pastry edge.
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes until the pastry is a crispy golden brown and puffed.
  • Let it cool for a few minutes. Crack your favorite pepper over the top and dig in!

This is great right out of the oven or at room temp. If you’re feeling all fancy, drizzle with a touch of balsamic glaze.

Beyond the Recipe—As we approach the holiday season, I find myself thumbing through cookbooks and browsing my favorite food blogs searching for fresh ideas. Rather than look at a new recipe as a blank canvas, I like to choose the hero of the dish first and build out from there. In this case, it’s the gold medal winner of the World Cheese Awards, Rogue River Blue. Honestly, that cheese is the definition of HERO!

This onion tart with blue cheese is the simplest yet most decadent gift you can give to your family and friends. And because Rogue Creamery has several different Blue profiles, you can use the one you like best. My favorite is Caveman Blue, but I bet this tart would be amazing with Smokey Blue, too.

Another benefit of this delicious concoction is its versatility. Cut it into large sections and add some greens and you’ve got a lovely supper. Or go bite-size and serve at a party. You can’t go wrong, and I can guarantee that everyone will be thrilled to get a nibble of the World’s Best Cheese!

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think. Stop by the shop or email me directly at erika@thepotrack.com. And be sure to check out thepotrack.com for more recipes and foodie info.