Caramelized Red Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts

Making the pastry

1. Preheat the oven at 180°C.

2. Sift the wholemeal flour, plain flour, salt, together and add to a food processor.

3. Cut the butter into cubes, pull the thyme leaves off the stems and add both to the flour mixture. Process until the mix looks like fine breadcrumbs.

4. Watching closely, add in the cold water and stop processing as soon as the pastry comes together. Make the pastry into a sausage shape about the thickness of salami, place the pastry into a freezer bag and chill in the fridge for about 40 mins.

5. Break the egg into a cup and whisk until egg white and yolk are combined. You can save this for later.

Preparing the filling

1. Now chop the onions finely, reserve 6 whole sprigs of the thyme, and take the leaves off the rest.

2. On a medium temperature, heat up a frying pan and add the olive oil. When the oils is hot, add the onions garlic and thyme and stir constantly until the onions are soft and translucent. This may take will take approximately 15-20mins.

3. Add the balsamic vinegar and the pepper jelly and continue to stir and cook the onion mixture, until the mixture is glossy and rich in colour. It is important to stir the mixture continuously so that they onions do not brown or scorch.

4. Pat dry the roasted pepper and cut into diamonds approximately 5mm from tip to tip.

5. Slice the  goat cheese into circles about just under 1cm thick and then in half to create a half moon shape.

Baking the pastry shells

1. After chilling, slice off a sliver of the pastry, reserving this to help with moulding in the tins. Slice the sausage of pastry into six equal rounds, Roll out one of the slices into circles about 2mm thick and large enough to fit the bottom and sides of the tart tin.

2. Place the rolled out pastry gently over a tart tin and lift the it gently up, draping into the tin so that it start taking the shape of the tin, use the small piece of the pastry to push and mould the pastry into the tin.

3. Pass the rolling pin over the top edge to cut off the excess pastry. Then use some of the reserved pastry again to even out any thickness on the pastry top and cut off with a sharp knife. Repeat with all the pastry cases until all 6 tins are done.

4. Prick the pastry bottom all around the base, line with baking parchment and fill with rice. (You can lightly press the rice into the corners as it gets in and creates a well-defined shape in your tin).

5. Bake on a baking sheet in the hot oven for 10 mins.

6. Take out of the oven, remove the rice and parchment paper, brush with the egg wash and return to the oven for a further 3 mins. The pastry shells should be golden and cooked through. Ready for filling!

Filling the tart shell

1. Spoon a tablespoon of the onion mixture into the pastry shell, and smooth with the back of the spoon. Place three of the roasted pepper diamonds in thirds radiating from the from the centre on top of the onions.

2. Place the halfmoons of goat cheese on top, between the sweet peppers, also radiating from the centre and top with a sprig of fresh thyme.

3. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 10 mins or until  the cheese has melted.

4. Allow to cool a little in the tin before tipping out. Brush with a little olive oil to give them a glow!

These tarts are delightful served warm, but are equally delicious cold with a crunchy side salad!