The first time I made this tart was for lunch last Christmas. I was risking some guests not eating my starter because I know that some of them do not like the idea of mixing fruit/sweet flavours with savoury ones. However, I wanted to make something different than the usual soup and ultimately decided to take on the risk. And I am glad I did! Everybody liked it and even went for a small second portion. I was so relieved and that made me feel so happy! 😀
As I do with my other favourite recipes, I am adding it to my collection here to share it with you. It may sound a bit complicated at first, but actually it is a very simple recipe. You can complete some of the prep in advance, like you can prepare the dough a day in advance – if you are making your own – and you can also prepare the onions in advance. The other components that remain are the pears which you need to slice and place in the tart and crumble some Stilton cheese on top at the very end.
I made one big tart which we all shared among us. A great alternate idea would be to make individual tartlets if you have individual portion tart tins. Everyone would be served their own little tart and it would also be make a really pretty presentation.
I have opted for a shortcrust pastry because I like how the buttery dough compliments the sweetness of the onions and pears. Another option would be using puff pastry, which you can easily find ready-made at your supermarket.
Here’s what you need to make the Caramelised Onions, Pear & Stilton Cheese Tart. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we did 🙂
Caramelised Onions, Pear & Stilton Cheese Tart
A sweet and savoury tart ideal as a starter to kick off a hearty meal.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- 300g plain flour
- 200g wholewheat flour
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g margarine
- Pinch of salt
- 150ml cold water
- 1kg red onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 100g Stilton cheese, crumbled
- 2 tsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
For the filling:
Directions
- For the pastry: In a stand mixer/food processor, combine the flour, butter, margarine and salt until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the water until a dough ball is formed. Place it in a bowl, cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until ready to use
- For the onions: In a large pan, heat the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, place the sliced onions and cover. Let it cook slowly on a very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring it once halfway.
- Once the onions have softened and are golden in colour, add the sugar and balsamic vinegar and further cook on low heat for another 10 minutes until dark and jammy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool off.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease two 9-inch tart tins with some butter or place a baking paper inside.
- Roll out the dough to the size of the prepared tart tins and place it into the tin.
- Spoon the caramelised onions in the bottom and make sure your create a good layer in the bottom.
- Place the sliced pears on top to cover the onions.
- Sprinkle the crumbled Stilton cheese and the chopped rosemary leaves.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is golden and the cheese is melted and golden brown.
- Let it cool slightly in the tin before serving.
- Serve as is on its own or with a simple green leafy salad with a simple vinaigrette.
