Delicata Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

This tart is a great fall appetizer for a party. It's quick, can be made ahead of time and beautifully showcases some of my favorite fall flavors. Delicata squash have a flavor similar to butternut squash, but are much easier to work with because of their small size and edible skin. I also love the look of the rings with scalloped edges, (no fancy knife work here) this is how they look when sliced. They are also really pretty to look at when whole and last a long time, so using them in a fall table display of pumpkins and gourds is something I like to do. (Until I'm ready to eat them!) Caramelized onions always make everything taste better, and I especially love them here because they add a bright dimension to this tart both in color and flavor. The onions are finished with balsamic vinegar and red wine which gives them a nice acidity. The caramelized onions last two weeks in your fridge or 2 months in the freezer so feel free to make a batch of them ahead of time. I purposely use more onions than needed so that I extra leftover. They are delicious added to almost anything and everything.  For the crust of the tart I use store bought puff pastry, which means this tart can be rapidly thrown together when you are in a hurry. I love DuFour Puff Pastry. They use all butter in their recipe (no hydrogenated fats or other gross additives) and I think the flavor is definitely superior. However, it is about $10 for each one, so if you are making several of these for a large party and don't want to spend that kind of money, Pepperidge Farms also makes a frozen puff pastry that makes a perfectly fine substitute and is less than half the price.  For the cheese I used a four cheese blend and some freshly grated Parmesan, however feel free to let your imagination run wild here-any cheese will work. 

Delicata Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

Serves 10-12 as an appetizer

-1 delicata squash, washed and dried

-olive oil 

-kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

-1 pkg DuFour classic puff pastry (thawed in fridge for 6 hours)

-3 large red onions, thickly sliced (this will yield more than you need for this recipe)

-1/2 stick unsalted butter

-red wine (Cab Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot)

-balsamic vinegar

-Quattro Fromagio blend of shredded cheese

-Parmesan (freshly grated) 

-fresh sage, 1 small bunch

-fresh parsley, chopped (a couple of Tbsp) 

For the Caramelized Onions:

The caramelized onions take a while to make so that's why I start them first if I am making the entire recipe start to finish. Place the onions in a large sauté pan over medium heat with a pinch of salt, a couple of grinds of black pepper and a half stick of butter. Once the butter is melted, reduce the temperature to low and stir occasionally for about 45 minutes until onions are nicely browned and caramelized. (If the pan seems too dry at any point you can add a drizzle of olive oil.) 

Add about a cup of red wine and increase heat to medium. Stir occasionally until almost all of the wine is evaporated then add about a quarter of a cup of balsamic vinegar and reduce. (An expensive balsamic vinegar is not necessary here)  When the liquid is evaporated, remove the onions from heat and cool. 

For the Pastry:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Remove from packaging and flatten into a rectangle. You can use a rolling pin if you want, but I typically just use my hands. 

Using a sharp knife score ALMOST all of the way through the pastry about 1/3-1/2 inch around the perimeter of the pastry to make your outer crust. Next, take a fork and prick the crust all over within the perimeter of your crust. (This prevents the middle from puffing up too much.) 

Place the pastry on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown, rotating the pan half way through the baking time. 

Set aside the pastry to cool. (The pastry shell can be made up to 2 days before you need it. First COMPLETELY cool and then wrap with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container) 

While the puff pastry bakes, prepare your squash:

Slice the end off of the squash and removed the seeds with a spoon. 

Thinly slice the seeded squash into rings and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Increase oven temp to 425 and roast squash for about ten minutes on a foil lined sheet pan until just tender. Set aside to cool. 

Assemble the Tart:

Spread the cheese evenly over the crust. 

Next, evenly distribute the delicata squash and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and add the sage chiffonade. To cut the sage leaves into a chiffonade stack the leaves into a small pile, roll them up and thinly slice them. You will end up with thin, pretty ribbons. 

 

Pop the whole thing back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top with some of the caramelized onions and cut into squares and serve. 

If you are making this for a party and want to do more ahead of time, you can assemble the entire tart a day in advance and bake for ten minutes to melt cheese before serving. You can serve the tart hot or at room temperature. I like it best warm.