Blue cheese, caramelised onion and porcini tarts
“Our homecook hero”
- 3 large red onions
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- 2 cups dried porcini mushrooms (you can also use cep)
- 2 x 300ml cartons fresh cream
- Bay leaf
- Pinch saffron
- 3 eggs
- Pack of four shortcrust pastry sheets
- 200g King Island blue cheese or similar
Since their first blind date in December 1998, the kitchen in Michael and Kathryn Barton's Beauty Point house has been at the heart of their relationship. On that memorable night, Michael cooked her osso buco with Milanese risotto and gremolata - from scratch and without a recipe.
Method
Preheat oven to 180C. Peel and thinly slice onions and place in a baking tray. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and oil and place in the oven. Stir periodically for about 20-30 minutes until dark brown, set aside to cool.
Soak mushrooms in a bowl of hot water for about 10 minutes or until soft. Remove carefully to avoid collecting any dirt that can fall to the bottom of the bowl and squeeze to remove any excess water. Coarsely chop and add cream, with bay leaf and saffron, in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat until simmering, then take off the heat and allow the mixture to infuse.
When cool, blend in the saucepan with a stick blender or food processor. Work the mixture through a fine sieve to remove all the solids, then beat in the eggs. Remove pastry from freezer, separate sheets and lay flat on a cutting board. Allow to soften for about five minutes then, using a metal 9cm-diameter cutter, cut circles of pastry and lay each circle over a hole in a standard, 12-hole muffin tray. Allow to soften and then gently form into muffin mould.
Place a piece of cheese in the base, add onion mixture to below the top of the mould, then using a small ladle, pour in the cream mixture to just below the top of the pastry and place in oven for about 25 minutes.
Makes 24
