Apple Cheddar Tart With Caramelized Onions & Pine Nuts

Oh, hallo there, fall. You bittersweet time of year with your clear blue skies, brisk breezes, dancing sunshine, leaves of crimson, amber, and gold. So beautiful, crisp and cozy and so undeniably the last gasp before winter sets in… Have I mentioned that I do not care for the cold?

But you do bring the most delectable apples, and my feelings about them, at least, are entirely positive.

Here’s a super simple, easy way of enjoying the season’s apples that is a sure crowd pleaser and picky-eater teaser and looks really fancy and involved.

The secret is to use frozen puff pastry dough. Of course, you can make your own pastry dough if you’ve got time to kill and two hands free at the same time (not so here these days) and it’s possible that it might taste even better but I can’t offer you any guarantees on that.

I’ve had great results with DuFour’s puff pastry. And apparently, it’s some of the best money can buy… but I think it’d be tasty with any puff pastry — there’s a lot of butter in puff pastry so it is inherently yummy, no matter what brand you use. Just don’t forget to leave time for it to defrost (a mistake I’ve definitely made…)

Use a crisp, sweet-tart apple – Macoun, Mutsu, Cortland, Northern Spy, Granny Smith – there are a million good varieties available at this time of year, at least there are here in New York, the apple bin of the country.

Do not skimp on the onions as they provide such delicious sweet flavor. And I am always amazed by the degree to which they reduce during the caramelization… Lotsa fresh herbs give it a pleasant hint of freshness amidst all that wonderfully melty cheese and buttery pastry.

Pine nuts provide some hearty crunch and a lovely toasted flavor while you chew. And salt and pepper do their part by bringing the whole flavor combo up yet another notch.

Next: Get the recipe!