Apple, Cheddar, and Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites
This easy appetizer from food editor Amy Traverso’s book, The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, makes the most of a classic flavor combination.
Apple, Cheddar, and Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites
Photo Credit : Dylan LeavittApples and caramelized onions are an unbeatable combination, especially when paired with Cheddar cheese. Using store-bought puff pastry and cooking the onions ahead of time makes this a very simple appetizer that you can assemble and bake right before your party.
Any firm-tart apples will work well here, but I particularly like aromatic varieties, such as Northern Spy, Esopus Spitzenburg, Newtown Pippin, Arkansas Black, or Stayman Winesap.
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How to Make Apple, Cheddar, and Caramelized Onion Pastry Bites
Yield:
About 40 puffsIngredients
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 large yellow onions, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rings
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons fresh apple cider, divided
1 sheet good-quality store-bought puff pastry, such as Dufour brand, kept cold
1 medium firm-tart apple, unpeeled, cored and cut into thin slices
3 cups finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
Instructions
In a skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, then add the onions, thyme, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent but do not change color, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cover, raise the heat to medium, and pour in 4 tablespoons of the cider, scraping the pan with wooden spoon to pick up any browned bits. Cook the liquid down until reduced to a tablespoon or so, about 8 minutes, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of cider, scraping the bottom once more, and cook until the onions are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375° and set the rack in the second-to-lowest position. Put the chilled pastry on the ungreased baking sheet and roll out to a rectangle about 12 by 15 inches. If the pastry becomes soft or sticky during the process, put it in the freezer for 4 minutes to chill. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the pastry in crisscrossing diagonal lines to form diamond-shaped pieces, each about 3 inches wide at the widest point. Top the center of each piece with an apple slice (trim to fit), a small pile of onions, and a sprinkling of cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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