Onion Filled Pastry Puffs
Ingredients:
- yellow onions, peeled cut in half and sliced into 1/4 inch thick semi-circles - 2 medium
- butter, softened - 3 T plus more for buttering bread
- olive oil - 1 T
- coarse sea salt - 1 scant tsp
- fresh thyme leaves - 1 tsp
- fresh cracked black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- sugar - pinch
- beef broth, beer or white wine to deglaze the pan - 3 T
- Puffs --
- all butter puff pastry, thawed but still cold - 2 - 9 × 9 inch sheets
- egg, beaten - 1
- whole grain mustard - 2 T
- finely grated Gruyère cheese - 1/3 cup
Instructions:
In a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil, stir until butter is melted. Add onions; stir well. Let onions cook, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes. Add salt, thyme, pepper and sugar; stir. Place lid on pan and cook onions for 4 minutes at a time. (Lower heat if onions are browning too quickly.) Stir onions every so often. Cook onions until browned, broke down and resemble onion jam.
When onions are entirely browned and completely soft, add your broth, beer OR wine to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any burned bits off the bottom of the pan as the liquid evaporates about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat, set aside to rest while you prepare pastry puffs.
Prepare puff pastry -- place puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface, unroll. Use a rolling pin to roll out the pastry to 1/2 inch on all sides. Using a 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the pastry. Yield 24 pastry rounds.
Brush each round lightly with beaten egg. Top 12 of the pastry rounds with 1/8 tsp mustard. Spoon 1 tsp caramelized onions, top with 1/2 tsp grated cheese.
Carefully place pastry puffs on top of onion and cheese mixture, brushed egg side down.
With your fingers pinch ends closed, then use the tines of a fork to press the pastry together.
Place pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush lightly with egg. Prick top of each pastry with the tines of a fork for ventilation.
Place oven rack in the upper third of oven. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 12 - 15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
Remove from oven, cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm,
