I absolutely love Mediterranean food and these tarts are delicious and can be served as a lunch with a Greek salad. If you prefer not to have any meat, mushrooms can be used instead of the beef.
Ingredients:
1 package (2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions (4 cups) thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
3 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese
2 large tomatoes cut into slices
3 tablespoons fresh julienned basil leaves
4 slices of all natural deli beef (I use all natural Boar's Head brand)
10 fresh mushrooms thinly sliced (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425*F. Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly. Using a 5 to 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide and cut 4 circles from the sheet off pastry. Repeat with the second pastry sheet. I used the scraps, made it into one piece and rolled it and cut more circles from it. In the end I had 12 circles. Place the pastry circles on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Sauté and stir frequently until the onions are limp and there are almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add half a teaspoon of salt, quarter of a teaspoon black pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for a few minutes until the onions are lightly browned. remove from the heat.
Using a sharp paring knife (I used a wine glass) and 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 on each round, staying inside the scored border. Place a heaped-up teaspoon of the onion mixture on each circle, staying within the scored edge. Add small pieces of beef on top of the onion mixture. Crumble small pieces of goat cheese on top of the beef (or mushrooms). Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt, pepper. Scatter some grated Parmesan cheese on each tart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Sprinkle some fresh basil and serve warm with a Greek salad. Enjoy!
I decided to show you some pictures of our garden. I love the combination of red and green colors that can also be seen in the tomato and basil in the tarts above.
I love beautiful interiors and I find most of my inspiration in nature!
Below are some photographs of interiors where reds and greens were used. Look closely at the color combinations in nature and use that in your interiors!
Images 1 to 4 taken by me. Images 5 to 8 from Architectural Digest
