Cheesy Persimmon Tarts
If you like sweet and savory, this tart is your jam. Persimmons are one of my all time favorite fall/winter fruits - they are rich and sweet but pair really really well with savory items. In this case, we’re going with a cheese and shallot mixture that forms the bottom layer of the tart. The tangy cheese is the perfect complement to the juicy persimmon and a little drizzle of honey and pepper rounds out the bite. I like to serve this tart as an appetizer, but it is sweet enough that it could also be a fun dessert. It might seem uber fancy and sophisticated (puff pastry and an exotic fruit will do that for you) but it is actually dead simple to make.
When using puff pastry, make sure to leave a sizeable gap around the edge that leave free of topping - if you weigh it down all the way around, then you won’t get that beautiful puffy crunch. If you can't find persimmons, that's okay! This tart would taste delicious with lots of different fruits - pears, apples, even grapes would be fab.
Why you need cold dough and a high baking temperature: When baking a laminated pastry, which is just layers of dough followed by layers of butter (think croissants, pie dough, biscuits, etc.), having both cold dough and a high temperature is critical for creating the delicious flakes we all know and love. When you have those two things, the butter steams the second it hits the heat, puffing up the dough on top of it and creating layers. Pastry dough is fickle where anything that isn't chilled is problematic: if your pastry dough starts to warm up at all before it gets in the oven (e.g. even just sitting out at room temperature for too long) the butter will get soft, start to fuse with the dough and create one big pastry that doesn’t have unique layers. If you have a lower oven temperature, the butter will have time to melt before the water steams out causing a similar fusion between butter and dough that you don’t want. Moral of the story: keep your pastry as cold as possible before you use it, and make sure your oven temperature is hot hot hot when the pastry goes in.
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
2 oz goat cheese, room temperature
1 oz gorgonzola, room temperature
4-5 persimmons, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices (if you don't have them, sub for slightly softened apples or pears)
2 tbsp honey
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted according to instructions (make sure it’s still cold when you use it!)
Method:
Preheat oven to 425
In a medium pan, add diced onions, 1 tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and minced thyme leaves and saute over medium heat until onions have softened and are slightly translucent, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. When onions have cooled, add to a small bowl and combine with both cheeses. Mix lightly until roughly combined.
Cut puff pastry into into 8 pieces. Spread cheese and onion mixture onto the each piece of puff pastry, making sure to leave at least 1 inch gap around the edges. Layer persimmons on top of cheese mixture, and then top with a drizzle of honey, salt and pepper.
Bake tart for 15-20 minutes until the puff pastry is puffed and golden brown and the cheese is lightly bubbling. Serve warm, with a drizzle of balsamic.
