When You Don’t Have Time (or a Lot of Ingredients), Make This Delicious Tart
There’s a specific kind of dinner emergency where you want something that looks like it took real effort, but you’ve only got a handful of ingredients and even less time.
This caramelized onion and blue cheese tart is exactly what we reach for in that situation, and it somehow manages to look far more impressive than the short ingredient list suggests.
Why This Tart Works When You’re Short on Time
The whole thing leans on store-bought puff pastry, which does most of the heavy lifting here. There’s no dough to make from scratch and no resting time to wait around for, just a sheet of pastry that goes from the freezer to the oven with almost no prep.
From there, it’s really just caramelized onions and a bit of cheese doing all the work. A handful of simple ingredients, when they’re the right ones, can still add up to something that tastes rich and layered, which is exactly the case here.
What You Need
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup ricotta or crème fraîche
- 3 oz blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
- A handful of fresh oregano or thyme leaves
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
How to Make It
Start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt.
Cook them slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until they turn soft and deeply golden, then stir in the balsamic vinegar during the last couple of minutes and set the onions aside to cool slightly.
While the onions cook, roll out the puff pastry on a lined baking sheet and use a knife to score a border about half an inch in from the edges, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Prick the center area inside the border a few times with a fork, which keeps it from puffing up too much in the middle while the edges still rise.
Spread the ricotta or crème fraîche evenly over the center of the pastry, staying inside the scored border, then brush the border itself with the beaten egg.
Spoon the caramelized onions over the cheese layer, scatter the crumbled blue cheese on top, and add a good crack of black pepper before it goes in the oven.
Bake at 400°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the border is puffed and deeply golden and the cheese has melted into the onions.
Let it cool for a few minutes, then finish with fresh oregano or thyme leaves scattered over the top before slicing and serving.
Tips for Serving
This tart is just as good served warm as it is at room temperature, which makes it a great option if you’re not trying to time everything perfectly. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette on the side is really all it needs to feel like a full meal.
If blue cheese isn’t your thing, goat cheese or a sharp cheddar both work well as substitutes without changing much about the method. It also reheats nicely in the oven for a few minutes the next day, so leftovers are never really a problem.
RELATED ARTICLE: Quick Lunches You Can Make in 10 Minutes
