It’s my favorite time of the year. October, November, and December are always full of holiday parties, gatherings, and dinners with family, and I look forward to them every year. Of course, food is a central point of these gatherings, so what better to whip up than a simple appetizer that everyone loves? These French Onion Puff Pastry Tarts with Hot Honey Drizzle come together with about four ingredients plus things you probably already have in your pantry. They taste fantastic, look beautiful, and couldn’t be simpler. The rich, classic flavors of French onion soup are layered over fluffy pastry dough and drizzled with sweet heat for an irresistible bite.
Let’s Talk Puff Pastry
What is puff pastry? This type of dough is similar to croissant dough in that it is layered with butter and folded over and over again. This creates countless individual layers of flaky dough once baked. Although this is delicious, it takes a long time and a lot of patience to create at home. That’s why the shortcut of using frozen puff pastry is so useful. Frozen puff pastry tastes great and is easy to work with, so there’s no reason not to opt for that!
The most important tip for working with frozen puff pastry is to give it time to thaw. When frozen, the pastry dough will crack when you try to work with it. Allowing it to fully thaw allows for a soft, flexible dough that is easy to work with. This usually takes about 40 minutes at room temperature. You don’t want the dough to sit out for *too* long before you use it, because the butter will begin to melt and it will become difficult to handle. If you are running short on time or forgot to take the dough out of the freezer, you can warm it in the microwave in 10-15 second increments, being sure to check it in between to avoid melting the butter. If your dough warms up too much and becomes hard to work with, just pop it in the freezer for a few minutes until it firms up again.
Now for the Filling
The filling of these puff pastry tarts could not be any simpler. In fact, it’s just about two ingredients: onions and cheese. Caramelizing the onions brings out the rich, sweet, intense flavor that I love about French onion soup. This process is a marathon, not a sprint. Be sure not to rush your onions or you’ll risk burning them and ending up with bitterness in your tarts. Your patience will be rewarded.
Pairing the onions with gruyere cheese is a match made in heaven. Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese that has a strong, nutty, rich flavor that complements the onions but doesn’t get lost. It melts beautifully and works perfectly to mimic the melty, cheesy, top on a bowl of French onion soup. Together, the onions and the cheese almost melt into each other and become one, delicious filling.
I like to top these tarts with hot honey, but you can skip it if you don’t like spice. I think the honey brings out the sweetness of the caramelized onions, and I always love honey and cheese together. The cayenne adds just enough heat to wake up your palate and elevate the cozy flavors of the tart. If you like a little more spice, you can even up the amount of cayenne in the honey or drizzle the tarts with a little hot pepper oil.
Looking for other appetizers? Try these:
Smoked Salmon Crostini with Asparagus Mousse
Mushroom Arancini with Gruyere
Wild Mushroom and Herb Galette
Assembling the French Onion Puff Pastry Tarts with Hot Honey Drizzle
Once the onions are caramelized, these tarts are easy to assemble. I start by slicing the puff pastry dough into 8 even squares. This is pretty simple because the dough is usually already in a nice, even large square or two from the box. Then, once the squares are arranged on a baking sheet, I place some of the grated gruyere in the center of each square, leaving some space around the edges for folding. Next, I top this gruyere with the caramelized onions. Then, the tarts are seasoned with salt and pepper.
The last step is finishing the tarts by folding the edges. I like to fold up each edge of the dough to form a little “cup” that holds the filling, pinching the corners to keep the dough in place. Moistening the dough just slightly with a little water on the edges helps to seal the corners. This process makes more sense looking at the pictures of the finished tarts just before baking!
I like to brush the dough with egg wash just before baking to help it brown evenly as it bakes. Once the tarts are out of the oven, a quick drizzle of the honey is all they need!
I hope you love these French Onion Puff Pastry Tarts with Hot Honey Drizzle as much as I do! If you make this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought or feel free to ask a question! I’d also love to see what you made! Tag me in your food pics @fortheperfectbite or use #fortheperfectbite on Instagram.
French Onion Puff Pastry Tarts with Hot Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 box (about 17 oz.) frozen puff pastry sheets
- 8 oz. gruyere cheese
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, depending on desired level of spice
Instructions
- Thinly slice or dice the sweet onions. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the onions to the pan.
- Slowly cook the onions, stirring often, until they soften and begin to brown. Be careful not to let the onions scorch or burn – caramelizing onions is a slow process. Lower the heat or add a little water or oil to the pan if you find the onions are beginning to burn or stick.
- Continue cooking and stirring the onions over the next 30-45 minutes, until a golden brown color is reached and the onions are completely soft. Remove from the heat.
- As the onions cook, thaw the puff pastry. Follow the instructions stated on the box – usually about 40 minutes at room temperature is recommended.
- Grate the gruyere cheese.Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.Slice the puff pastry sheets into 8 equal squares.
- Arrange the squares on the prepared baking sheet, leaving an inch or so between each square (use two baking sheets if needed).
- Place two tablespoons or so of shredded gruyere onto the center of each puff pastry square, leaving a small border (1-2 centimeters) around the edge of the dough. Ensure the cheese is evenly divided among the squares.
- Top the gruyere with a heaping tablespoon of caramelized onions, repeating to evenly divide the onions among the squares.
- Lightly season the tarts with kosher salt and black pepper. Dip your fingers into water and lightly moisten the outer border of each pastry square. Fold the sides of each square up and over themselves, pinching the corners together and pressing the edges of dough onto itself to seal in the cheese and onions. Only fold the dough over itself, leaving the onions and cheese uncovered.
- Lightly beat the egg with 1 tbsp water to create an egg wash. Brush the egg wash in a light layer over the pastry dough.
- Bake the tarts for 18 minutes, or until golden and fully puffed.
- To make the hot honey, stir the cayenne pepper into the honey, adjusting the amount up or down depending on the level of spice you prefer.Warming the honey just slightly in the microwave can make it easier to stir and drizzle.
- Drizzle the honey over the tarts. Serve and enjoy.
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