Spider Salad and Olive Tarts – French Onion Soup Puff Pastry Tarts

If one were to peruse my three ring recipe binders they would find newspaper and magazine clippings, printouts from the internet, and hand scrawled lists and notes, and they would come across two very special recipes, one for Spider Salad and the other for Olive Tarts. They sound intriguing, no doubt. But delicious…I’m not so sure.

We always encouraged our kids to try new foods, and it was important for me to teach them how to cook. I feared that they would only eat chicken nuggets, pasta with butter, and pizza into adulthood, let alone never taste the food I prepared or cook on their own. One way to ensure a mature palate, I surmised, was to have them help me in the kitchen starting at a very young age. I figured they would eat what they had helped prepare. Of course, kids always surprise you, as we were when they created their first recipes.

Jacob must have been three or four years old when he invented Spider Salad. I don’t think we ever prepared the recipe – a quick look at it below will provide rationale. But it was important enough to transcribe and store in the binder with the others. The result is more aesthetic and creative than what one would want to consume. Why coconut and bread together, and cooking it for an hour and a half? No quantities for the other ingredients are provided, but note that he did provide plating instructions, and somehow, he knew at that young age that spiders have eight legs. Interesting recipe, but not so practical for a family meal.

Ariana must have been a little older – maybe five or six – when she came up with Olive Tarts, a recipe somewhat more realistic in terms of both instructions and ingredients. She was always a salt hound, so of course she created a recipe that contained olives. There must have been a sodium deficiency driving her towards salty rather than sweet. She doesn’t care much about dessert, but those briny olives, along with cheeses, chips, bacon, and other cured meats were always game. Those were her go-to foods. And her Olive Tarts fall right into place, especially the final bullet that notes “you might need a little salt,” as if the olives (I’m sure she was referring to Kalamata) did not provide enough. Of course, there are no directions for making the dough or caramelized onions, but unlike Spider Salad, this recipe could be the basis for something tasty.

Today Jacob and Ari, in their mid-twenties and living away from home, are excellent eaters with wide-ranging palates. I don’t have to worry about them starving. They both cook all the time and even create their own recipes, which they proudly share with me. I guess encouraging them as kids – no matter how silly their recipes – paid off to help them become mature eaters and excellent home cooks.

French Onion Soup Puff Pastry Tarts

This recipe, modified from one I viewed on Instagram, mimics French Onion Soup, but in a two-bite, hand-held tart perfect as an appetizer for a gathering. The rich caramelized onion and beef stock flavors are all there and it’s even topped with melty Gruyère cheese, along with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream. Of course, the crouton is missing, but who needs that when it is replaced by a buttery puff pastry shell.

Relatively easy to make, the tarts can be prepared ahead and warmed when guests arrive. If there are left over caramelized onions, it’s not a problem; a little beef stock, some toasted bread, more cheese, and a pass under the broiler, and you’ve got French Onion Soup Gratinée. How could you go wrong?

makes about 24 tarts, 1.25 hours, mostly unattended

4 Tbsp. butter

2 large onions, thinly sliced

½ cup dry white wine

½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

2 tsp. Better Than Bullion Roasted Beef Base

kosher salt, if needed

cooking oil spray

2 sheets puff pastry (from one package), defrosted according to package instructions

flour for rolling puff pastry

8 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated

½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

1. Melt butter over medium-low heat in a heavy skillet. Add sliced onions and cook until deeply brown and caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Adjust heat if onions are in danger of scorching and add a tablespoon of water at a time if skillet seems too dry.
2. When onions are almost done, stir in white wine, ½ teaspoon thyme, and Better Than Bullion Roasted Beef Base and deglaze the pan scraping up any browned bits until most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste and add salt if needed. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400 ^oF.
4. Spray the cups of a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with cooking oil spray.
5. Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface and rolling pin and roll the sheets of puff pastry to 6 x 8 inches. Cut each sheet into 12-2 x 2-inch squares. Press each square of puff pastry firmly into a muffin cup.
6. Add about 1 tablespoon of caramelized onions to each tart and cover with grated Gruyère cheese.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted and puff pastry is golden.
8. When cool enough to handle, top with a little bit of crème fraîche or sour cream and remaining sprigs of thyme. Serve warm.

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