Do you remember the days before the internet was the Big thing? I was born in the end of the 80’s, so the 90’s were my childhood days. The days before major social media, before smartphones or smart anything. The days before high speed internet, before DVD’s were a big thing. Heck, you had rewind your VHS before returning it to the movie rental store and you had to watch tv at present time, always. I can still remember the sound of the dial-up as my family’s large, colorful Mac desktop computer connected to the internet. Uploading a photo took all day and Instant Messenger was the big thing back then, pre Facebook and just slightly pre Myspace. My my how much we have changed since then. I am not going to lie, I kind of miss those days. Things seemed so much simpler back then, or maybe it just seemed that way since I was a kid. Our world wasn’t so dramatic and impatient. Heck, even the weather channel is dramatic AF now. I really believe that social media/the internet has been the downfall of humanity. It has opened the flood gates of impersonal, reckless judgement on anyone and everyone. It has built so much hate. Perhaps awareness isn’t always a good thing. I don’t know. How do you all feel about social media and where the world is? Perhaps I am looking at it with too much of a negative perspective. I know that I can’t even turn on the news anymore because it is too much negativity. It’s impossible to know what is really going on because all the news stations have their own motives and opinions. How can you form your own when only one side is being given? Even with the middle of the road news? All I know is that religion and politics are two topics I avoid talking about with anyone because chances are, I feel very differently about it than the other person, and I hate debating. I have made a very conscious effort to really filter what I do on the internet. I don’t go on Facebook. Instead, I have the groups that I am apart of for my kids sports and classrooms to send my a direct e-mail whenever someone posts. That way I am only getting notifications for event dates and changes. And that way I don’t have to scroll through the newsfeed. Sure, I miss out on things from time to time, but for my own personal reasons and sanity, I am perfectly okay with it. Instagram I do enjoy, but my feed is quilting, food, traveling and animals. The best kind of filters right there! With all this in mind, I don’t mean that I am exempt from anything. I am probably just as guilty as the next person. It’s easy to get wrapped up with all the drama, and it takes a lot to slowly remove yourself from it all.
I can understand the small movement of those wanting to go back to their roots. I hear you people! Homesteading, small or large scale, has so much appeal. It’s a way to disconnect from everything, and create your own world. Your own environment where you know exactly where, how and when your food is being grown. The idea of that is becoming more of a need to change my lifestyle than a pipe dream. When we get to our final destination of home location, I plan on starting in. So stay tuned in the upcoming years.
Anyway, I’ve done enough rambling or opinion spewing. I hope you are still here with me! I am now officially moving on this tart. You don’t want to miss out on this. Seriously. The whole time I was eating it at dinner I couldn’t help exclaiming repeatedly how good it was. Cheddar cheese mixed with caramelized onions in a buttery pie crust, what’s not to love? Pure perfection. I served it with a simple side salad, which in turn, made the perfect dinner. This even makes excellent leftovers. This is a slightly indulgent dinner, but it is well worth it. Set some time aside this weekend to make this, and I promise you won’t regret it.
Recipe for the crust adapted from Lily’s Café Cookbook, Revised Edition by Kyra Alex, filling adapted from For the Love of Pie
Caramelized Onion Tart
This tart with caramelized onions is everything you could help for. Flakey, butter crust filled with sweet onions, cheese and some fresh herbs. Serve with a side salad and it's the perfect dinner.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3-5 Tablespoons cold water
For the filling
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium Spanish onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 Tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 medium sprigs thyme, leaves removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 large egg whisked with 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to blend. Scatter the pieces of the butter over the flour mixture and process until it resembles coarse meal, about 1 minute. With the machine running, pour in 3 tablespoons of water and process until the dough just starts to come together. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Remove the dough from the machine and gently press into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. Melt the butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Once the dough has chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle 10x12 inches. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese, 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, thyme, salt and pepper evenly over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch boarder. Spread the caramelized onions over the cheese mixture. Then sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley over the top. Pull the boarder over the filling by about 1 1/2 inches, tucking and pleating the edges and corners as necessary. Brush the boarder with the egg wash.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool just for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Wrap and refrigerate and leftovers up to several days.
