A Treat of a Tart

Last weekend while thumbing through a local grocery publication I spotted a recipe that looked interesting. They proclaimed “If you only make one appetizer this season this should be it!”

Well, I thought, OK, let’s see if they’re correct and guess what, THEY WERE! It came out crispy and delicious and looked festive too. Here it is.

Caramelized Onion Tart

1 pkg Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed on counter
10 slices bacon, fried and cut into 1” pieces
½ c. cottage cheese
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 c. grated Gruyere cheese (I substituted Swiss as the Gruyere is so pricey but it is better)
6 medium onions, caramelized
1 tsp. chopped thyme or ¼ tsp. dried

To Caramelize Onions

This is very easy to do and caramelized onions can be used in a lot of ways – on bruschetta, on burgers, not to mention they are the basis for French onion soup.

In a medium frying pan melt 2 tbsp. butter and add 3 tbsp. olive oil. Peel and thinly slice about 6 onions and add to pan. On a medium- low heat start to sauté onions. As they become translucent lower heat and let fry until they are brown and rich and not yet crispy. This may take 20 minutes or more. Remove from heat. If you are not using them right away they can be stored in fridge. Add more onions as needed for larger quantities.

The Tart

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While onions are caramelizing, fry bacon and cut into pieces and set aside, then shred cheese so it is ready. As puff pastry begins to thaw, gently unfold it on your counter and squeeze edges together. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place 5 sections of the pastry on the sheet. Discard the extra one or save it for some other use. Make sure pastry is thawed but still cold.

Mix in a blender or food processor (I used my mini chopper) the cottage cheese, flour, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth. Spread custard evenly on puff pastry. I sort of crimped the edges so it doesn’t run off the cookie sheet. Top with the cheese, onions, bacon and thyme all spread evenly.

Bake 30-35 minutes, let sit 5 minutes when out of oven.

Really, try this one – it is best hot or warm, but I saved a portion of it for the next day and had it cold for lunch and it was great!! It really is the best new appetizer I have found!

Easter Brunch Success!!

My Easter brunch was a delicious happening. The Ham and Cheesy Brunch Bake turned out bubbly and oh so pretty. The Macadamia Nut French Toast was crisp and when you poured on the maple syrup, you were in brunch heaven.

I even had some wonderful responses from readers who tried a few of my recipes. E. from NYC says “I made your Easter Ham & Cheesy Brunch Bake AND Parmesan Mushrooms for my brother. It was delicious!!!! He literally ate half of the Bake in ONE SITTING!!! Yum!”

And T. from San Diego writes “What a delicious casserole and since you could make it the night before, it was even better. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” WOW! I love positive responses. So great to hear from all of you. Keep cooking, keep having fun and send along any recipes you think readers might enjoy. Happy Spring!

Jeannine's Ham and Cheesy Brunch Bake

I'm gearing up for Easter Brunch and thought I'd share my recipe for "Jeannine's Ham and Cheesy Brunch Bake". I thought this was a family recipe and I have been making it for 30 years, but I have learned a variation of it is in many cookbooks - so here you go anyway. It is wonderful.

3 c. cubed French bread (sometimes I use regular bread with the crusts removed so it is not so “bready”)

3 c. cubed ham (buy one or two of those nifty ham slices and cut into cubes)

8 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 lb. sliced mushrooms, sautéed

Small can of sliced black olives

3 tbs. flour

1 tbs. dry mustard

4 tbs. melted butter

5 beaten eggs

3 c. milk

Combine first 5 ingredients. Place 1/3 of the mixture into a 13x9 pan that has been sprayed with a “Pam” type product. Mix flour and mustard, and sprinkle 1/3 of this mixture over first layer. Drizzle 1/3 of the butter over top. Repeat with two more layers.

Beat eggs, milk, and add some salt and pepper. Pour over casserole and chill overnight (this is the good part - you can do it in advance). Take out of fridge about 2 hours before you will be serving. Bake at 350 for one hour.

*Becky Knows Everything: I serve this with fruit salad and sometimes blueberry muffins.

Quack Quack Easter is Calling

We are having friends for an Easter brunch this year and I wanted to talk to you about it. I am serving stewed bunny rabbit stuffed with dressing made by combining melted chocolate eggs, bread cubes and sautéed onions. YUM! Just kidding – a little Easter humor. I am actually serving a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, “I’ll Cook When Pigs Fly”, one of the great cookbooks from the Junior League of Cincinnati. It is Macadamia Nut French Toast (p. 205). You must try this, it is so easy to make and fabulous! You can buy the book on Amazon for about $15. Check out When Pigs Fly.

Along with the French Toast, I am serving a traditional ham and egg cheesy brunch dish, a big fruit salad and a basket of croissants. Oh and I almost forgot – there will be Bloody Mary’s available as well as Mimosa’s to get us into that holiday mode.

My table centerpiece will be spring tulips in a crystal vase filled with jelly beans. If you do this, you might have to “tube” the flowers as the jelly beans lose their color in the water if they sit too long. I was going to give as party favors one of those Martha Stewart crystal eggs that are so pretty and look simple to make, but can you eat those? I think not! So a chocolate bunny it is, wrapped in a party bag tied with polka dot ribbon. Don’t you think the ears taste the BEST? Happy Easter!!

*Becky Knows Everything: In case you don’t know, “tubing” flowers means you put the stems in little tubes you have filled with water. These are available at any florist or grocery florist or at the craft store.