As a girl who grew up in a town with a total of two stoplights and a population of around 3500, I was enchanted by New York City and all the things that came with it — foreign languages, wild cab rides, brunch at 2 pm, and yes, even the noise — the glorious, life is happening all around you, noise.
I’d been reading about NYC for as long as I can remember — in fiction, history books, and magazines. I’ve watched a 17-hour documentary on the history of the city — twice.
When I finally landed in the city the first time, it felt like I’d been there a hundred times. It was seven months after 9/11 happened and five months after my mother died. We’d both been through a lot.
Since that first trip, I’ve been enough times that I’ve lost count.
Until the pandemic, I spent every birthday in NYC. Jeff and I got married at City Hall in NYC. And that city is part of why I decided to go freelance — I wanted to get there and stay for as long as possible, as often as possible, and an in-office job didn’t allow that freedom (the first year I went freelance, I went to NYC four times).
On that first trip, I knew no one in the city. But over the years, I began to collect friends that lived there — Upper East Siders, Chelsea dwellers, Upper West Siders, and a few in Harlem.
So, when we were eating at the bar at one of our favorite Eastside Austin restaurants, Suerte, one night, and the adorable couple next to us mentioned to the bartender that they lived between Austin and NYC, I was delighted to overhear this and determined to get to know them. Three small plates and two Don Darios (reposado tequila, tamarindo, lime, and sarsaparilla bitters) later, we had exchanged numbers and were heading to Whisler, one of Austin’s best mixology bars, for after-dinner drinks.
I work fast.
And seven years later, even after a move to Palm Springs, we’re still the best of friends. They’ve visited us several times and were here for a stay at a resort in Rancho Mirage over Christmas. They flew in on Christmas day and mentioned they’d like to go for a “light lunch” somewhere. The thought of trying to figure out where to eat lunch on Christmas day in Palm Springs did not entice me, so I said, “Let’s do lunch here!”
And since this was on top of hosting Christmas Eve dinner (TexMex cheese enchiladas, Spanish rice, and charro beans), making two coconut cakes for a surprise birthday party at our neighbors’ house, and prepping Christmas dinner, I needed something fast but still Christmas Day lunch-worthy.
I don’t remember how I ran across this tart recipe, but I latched on to it as the perfect solution. I rarely serve guests something I’ve never made before, but it was desperate times. And I figured with a puff pastry crust as its foundation, how could it possibly go wrong?
This isn’t a tart pan tart. This is a cookie sheet tart, as in lay the pastry flat, dress it up, bake it, and cut it into squares. I didn’t get to give this tart a photo shoot as I had two hungry travelers and a famished Husband sitting at the table eyeballing me (thus the supplemental photo of our engagement photoshoot in Central Park).
The culinary Christmas angels were on my side, and combined with my absolute, all-time favorite spinach salad recipe (it has no strawberries in it!), this Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart was perfection.
As was our visit with our ATX-NYC friends that we picked up at the bar in a restaurant called Suerte – Spanish for luck. Lucky indeed to find these two fabulous friends and this delicious recipe to share with them and you.
THE EASIEST CARAMELIZED ONION & GOAT CHEESE TART
Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
Salt
8 oz. herbed goat cheese
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I used Dufour), thawed
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, season with salt, and cook 30-40 mins until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Carefully unroll the thawed puff pastry, gently pressing out any creases. Spread the goat cheese over the tart, leaving a ½ inch border around the edges.
- Top the tart with the cooled onions.
- Bake until crust is golden, about 25-30 minutes.
- Let the tart cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Can be served room temp.
I hope you find a reason to make this tart and share it with a friend or loved one you are grateful for. You do not have to wait until Christmas Day!
Hugs from afar,
Julia (in the kitchen)
