Recipe Balsamic Onions in Puff Pastry (with or without Camembert/Brie)

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This is one of those rough and ready recipes

Ingredients
Very large onion
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh thyme
garlic (optional)
puff pastry
Brie/Camembert/Herby Cashew Nut Cheese

Method

1. Cut the root and top off the onion and then cut them in the same direction again (not through the root but so that the onion stays together in a circle as through creating two giant onion rings).
2. Cook in some good olive oil until browned on top and tail, add the balsamic vinegar and some thyme (plus garlic if you wish (I keep the garlic whole))...
3. reduce down to a nice syrup and remove the onions carefully.
4. Place them into a nice sized square of puff pastry.
5. add some more thyme and if you want the garlic.
6. Now add either some brie/camembert (or in my case some homemade herby cashew nut cheese),
7. add the balsamic vinegar reduction (which should be nice and thick and sticky)
8. pull up the sides of the puff pastry to meet at the top....
9. now cook in the oven (180C/380F/Gas 6) until the puff pastry is done (20-25mins).
10. Serve with some veg as desired...

 

[Morning Glory]

This is one of those rough and ready recipes

1. Cut the root and top off the onion and then cut them in the same direction again (not through the root but so that the onion stays together in a circle as through creating two giant onion rings).

So you mean you make onion halves? This sounds delicious. Its great to use humble cheap ingredients like onions to produce something different and to make them the star of he dish.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

So you mean you make onion halves? This sounds delicious. Its great to use humble cheap ingredients like onions to produce something different and to make them the star of he dish.

Yep, but halves that don't go through the onion root or top. It's quite staggering how this chopping difference completely changed the taste of the dish. Cut correctly the onion holds a lot of the balsamic vinegar in, cut incorrectly it doesn't and the dish tastes totally different. Damhikt!

 

[Morning Glory]

Ok, I understand. So how long do you cook the onions (approx) before putting them in the pastry? And I'm assuming perhaps you need to cool the cooked onion before encasing it?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Ok, I understand. So how long do you cook the onions (approx) before putting them in the pastry? And I'm assuming perhaps you need to cool the cooked onion before encasing it?

Cook them to they look cooked... I tend to brown them on top and tail and then drop the heat to cook them till translucent. I put them in the pastry hot because if you do them cold there is a good chance that you can end up with cool onion rather than hot onion inside afterwards!

 

[Morning Glory]

Cook them to they look cooked... I tend to brown them on top and tail and then drop the heat to cook them till translucent. I put them in the pastry hot because if you do them cold there is a good chance that you can end up with cool onion rather than hot onion inside afterwards!

Ok. I think I'm over complicating things. I had visions of soggy pastry due to hot steaming wet onions! I'll have a go at this and report back...