Savoury Tartlets … a flavour explosion of cherry tomatoes & caramelised onion

“A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins.”
Laurie Colwin

Sometimes simple basic ingredients can combine to surprise your taste buds, and how! Remember when I said in my recent Strawberry Orange Rough Puff Pastry Tart post that having puff pastry, rough or not, in the fridge/freezer is dangerous. It’s true and I have these Cherry Tomato & Caramelised Onion Tartlettes to prove it! They were as delicious as they look, maybe better!One bite later, the ‘threatening to be quite terrible‘ pre-teen announced “Flavour crystals exploding in your mouth“, and continued to demolish the petite bites with gusto. He summed it up neatly. There was something about them, the flavours and the pairing!What is it about caramelised onions that is so endearing, so addictive and makes for beautiful pairing? I love that it lends exciting depth, flavour and colour to a lot of Indian cooking. The strength of a good Mughlai chicken or lamb curry often has roots in patiently caramelised onions, as do a lot of vegetarian curries.Sauté, sauté, sauté … then suddenly the edges begin to colour, from light brown to golden, your patience rewarded with crispy fried onions. Even though I use fried onions extensively in Indian cooking, as garnishes for biryani, as a base for stir fried broad beans, as my burst of flavour for lamb curries, and added glory to chicken kebabs, I had yet to use it in canapes etc.I had an extra batch on hand. I fried double the amount needed as I was making chicken kebabs,  so I stashed some away! Calling my name was that very dangerous rough puff pastry; this stuff is mood changing, especially if it is home made. Once I have a  batch chilling in the fridge, happiness fills me up.You tend to glide into the kitchen and begin rolling it it, knowing that in a short while you have the luxury of deliciousness rising in the oven. It might not deliver the authentic layers of puff pastry, but rough puff works for me beautifully!The flavours were outstanding. Sweet caramelised onions, tart sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, sea salt, the kick of vinegar…and of course garlic! Delicious crisp out of the oven, and pretty darned good cold too. { I made canapes with regular roma tomatoes yesterday, and cut the pastry into bite sized 2″ circles. Very good again!}

[print_this]Recipe: Cherry Tomato & Caramelised Onion Tartlettes

Summary: Delicious and addictive bites that offer a burst of flavour.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

• 300gms rough puff pastry {recipe here}
• 2 red onions, sliced very fine {approx 150gm}
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150-200gm cherry tomatoes, halved
•  Few  leaves of fresh basil, chiffonaded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Roll out the pastry into a 10.5″ X 10.5″ square. With a pizza cutter/pastry wheel, trim the edges and cut into 2.5″ squares {8 small}
2. Score a tiny border about 1/4 cm along the inside edge, taking care not to cut right through. Place on parchment lined baking tray and chill for about 30 minutes, until the topping is ready.
3. Gently sauté the finely sliced onions in 1tsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil until golden brown and caramelised. Reserve in a bowl.
4. Toss the halved cherry tomatoes with the basil, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper. Taste and adjust flavours. Set aside for a little while for the flavours to mature, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 200C.
6. Take pastry out of fridge. Divide the caramelised onions between the bases, ensuring they stay within the scored edges.
7. Give the tomatoes a good stir, and top the onions with about 5-6 halves each, cut side up. Sprinkle with a little sea salt.
   
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and puffy.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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