The Smart Cookie

Being Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Boring

Navigation

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts with Wild Blueberry Salsa

by 8 Comments

{By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.}

I know, I know, this sounds weird.  Just trust me on this one.

This week is all about blueberries.  Wild blueberries, to be exact.

But aren’t all blueberries the same?

No!  Wild blueberries are the smaller, more intensely flavored sibling of the blueberries you’re used to seeing is stores.  They’ve got twice the antioxidants of cultivated blueberries and are so much fun to cook with.  The easiest way to get your hands on some wild blueberries is to check out the freezer aisle of your local grocery store.  Wild blueberries should be found with all the other frozen fruit; look for “wild” on the bag and the feel of smaller berries inside.

Because I already made one wild blueberry recipe that was sweet, I wanted to try out something savory.  Now, you must know that I’m a lot less comfortable when it comes to cooking rather than baking, so this proved to be quite the challenge.  No worries though, after much deliberation and some experiments, I came up with this quirky and delicious meal.  Let me break it down for you:

First, we have puff pastry, topped with goat cheese and caramelized onions and baked to flaky perfection.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Here’s where things get funky (in a good way).  I made a lime cilantro and blueberry salsa to top the tart with right before serving.  It doesn’t sound like it would work, but it so does.  There’s something about the tart/sweet flavor of the blueberries and the sourness of the lime that perfectly pairs with creamy goat cheese and super sweet caramelized onions.

This is one meal that’s so weird, you can’t help but try it.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tarts with Wild Blueberry Salsa
For Tarts:

  • 1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed
  • 4 onions, chopped and caramelized*
  • 1/4 cup goat cheese
Preheat oven to 400F.  Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking mats or parchment paper.  Roll puff pastry dough out until it’s the thinnest you can make it without it ripping.  Cut into 6 even rectangles.  Place dough on baking sheets.  Take a spoonful of caramelized onions and spread on top of each rectangle.  Sprinkle each rectangle with goat cheese on top of the onions.  Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden-brown and flaky. 
For Salsa:
  • 2 cups wild blueberries, frozen
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped**
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1-2 tsp honey 
  • salt to taste
While tarts bake, make salsa.  In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, cilantro, lime, and honey.  Mix together to combine.  Taste and add salt as necessary.  Let salsa sit until tarts are ready.  In this time, the blueberries will begin to thaw slightly and make the salsa juicy and easier to eat.  I don’t recommend making the salsa the day before because it will become more juice than berries by then.
When tarts are done baking, serve and then top with blueberry salsa right before eating.  Store any leftover tarts without blueberries salsa in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or oven.  Add salsa after reheating.
Notes:
* If you’re not sure how to caramelize onions, here’s an online tutorial 
** If you don’t like cilantro, use basil, parsley or mint to replace it.  It will alter the taste, but it will still be delicious!

Comments

  2. I meant to try a decadent puff pastry recipe all Christmas season…but didn’t. So now I get to try this healthy one that actually looks better than the not so healthy one! Can’t wait! (:

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What to Cook