The Sweetness of Tart

I had this recipe tucked away for several months, waiting for the right time to make it. And one weekend, the opportunity presented itself. I was planning on making a light supper, soup. Normally I would slice up a loaf of crusty bread on the side. But I had onions, bacon, and blue cheese in the fridge, so instead I picked up some frozen puff pastry at the supermarket and went on to finally make this recipe.

Oh. My. God.

This is so incredibly delicious!

It has the perfect contrast of flavors: the sweetness of the onions, the saltiness of the bacon, the creamy tanginess of the blue cheese. It was heaven on a plate. Serve it as an appetizer. Or serve it with a salad for lunch or a light supper.

Caramelized Onion, Bacon & Blue Cheese Tart
Recipe from Woman's Day

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick pieces
  
• 2 medium vidalia onions, thinly sliced
  
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17.25-oz. package), thawed
  
• 2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until crisp, 6-8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Spoon off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the skillet.
   
3. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until very tender and caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes (add a splash of water to the skillet if necessary to help release the drippings). Stir in the bacon and pepper.
   
4. Lay the pastry flat on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the onion mixture over the pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border; crumble the cheese on top.
   
5. Baking until the pastry is golden and crisp along the edges, 25 to 28 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

UPDATE 9/15/12 The recipe calls for a splash or two of water to release the bacon drippings. But having made this a second time, I used a few splashes of white wine instead. I highly recommend this substitution. Wine just does something glorious to onions.