Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese Tart (Printable)

Rich tart with sweet caramelized onions, tangy goat cheese, and buttery flaky crust for elegant occasions.

# What You Need:

→ Crust

01 - 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry (8.8 oz)

→ Caramelized Onions

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
04 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
05 - 1 teaspoon sugar
06 - ½ teaspoon salt
07 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

→ Filling

08 - 150 g (5.3 oz) goat cheese, crumbled
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - ½ cup heavy cream (120 ml)
11 - ¼ cup whole milk (60 ml)
12 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
13 - ¼ teaspoon salt

→ Garnish (optional)

14 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley
15 - Freshly cracked black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a 9-inch tart pan with the pastry, trim edges and prick base with a fork. Chill for 10 minutes.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, cook stirring frequently for 10 minutes until softened. Add butter, sugar, salt, and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deeply golden and caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
03 - Whisk together eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, black pepper, and salt until smooth.
04 - Evenly spread caramelized onions over chilled tart crust, then sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top.
05 - Pour egg mixture gently over filling ensuring even coverage. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set and lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
06 - Garnish with fresh chives or parsley and extra black pepper if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The onions cook down into something so sweet and jammy, you will catch yourself eating them straight from the pan.
  • It looks impressive enough for company but comes together with simple ingredients you probably already have.
  • You can serve it warm, cold, or anywhere in between, and it still tastes like something from a French cafe.
  • The contrast between tangy goat cheese and sweet onions is the kind of flavor balance that makes people ask for the recipe immediately.
02 -
  • Do not rush the onions; if you try to crank up the heat to speed things along, they will burn instead of caramelize, and the whole tart will taste bitter.
  • Let the caramelized onions cool slightly before adding them to the pastry, or the heat will start cooking the eggs too soon and you will end up with scrambled bits instead of a smooth custard.
  • Pricking the pastry base is not optional; I skipped it once and ended up with a giant air bubble that pushed all my filling to one side.
03 -
  • Use a mandoline to slice the onions if you have one; it makes them uniformly thin and they caramelize more evenly.
  • If your goat cheese is too soft to crumble, freeze it for fifteen minutes first and it will break apart easily.
  • Blind baking the crust for ten minutes before adding the filling will give you an even crisper base, especially if you are making this ahead.
  • Taste the caramelized onions before assembling; if they need more salt or a pinch of sugar, adjust it then, not after baking.
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