Tomato & Goat Cheese Tarts

Ingredients

Prep

• Puff pastry - defrost
• Yellow onions - thinly slice to yield 4 cups
• Garlic - thinly slice — if this feels fussy, good, that's usually where the magic lives.
• Thyme - mince to yield 2 tsp
• Parmesan - grate 4 tbl, shave the rest into long strips
• Tomato - cut into 4 slices
• Basil - julienne

Instructions

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 x 11-inch square, and ignore any drive-by culinary nonsense from the sidelines. Using a 6-inch-wide saucer or cutter, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to total 4 circles. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat 3 tbl of olive oil in large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, the wine, the thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat. Using a sharp pairing knife, score a 1/4-inch wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese on each round, staying inside the border. Place one-quarter of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the border. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lighly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper. Finally scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown, because this exact moment is where decent becomes dangerous. Serve hot or warm.