Mini Onion Tarts

The fact that these were a big hit at the tea party is most likely due to the unique pungency of my backyard onions.  Still, any onion will provide a more subtle flavor to these while retaining some of the zing.  The secret is putting them in raw.  Usually, you cook veggies before putting them in a quiche because they will not cook further.  In this case, I wanted the texture, aroma, and taste of raw green onion.

I made these in an itty-bitty mini-muffin pan.  If you do them in a regular muffin tin, I think you'll get three or four, and they won't puff up nearly as high as these did.  A double batch will barely make an 8" tart, and it will be thin.  This is not a quiche-quantity recipe.  I'm giving you the hors d'oeuvre version.

Crust
1/2 C flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tb shortening, chilled
1 or 2 Tb cold water

Filling 
1 egg
*2 Tb minced green onion
1/4 C milk
2 Tb finely shredded havarti
dash of pepper

1.  For crust, stir together flour and salt.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles oatmeal.  Stir in water just until everything sticks together.  Form into a disc and wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate for about half an hour, to allow the dough to rest and hydrate.

2.  Roll out dough on a lightly floured board to 1/16", or as thin as you can get without tearing.  Cut with a 2-1/2" or 3" round cutter as closely as possible.  Reroll scraps once, to get about 12 circles.

3.  Place dough in muffin cups.  Because it's so thin, don't press down right away.  Fold the edges gently to get it in the holes, and only press at the end to smooth out the folds and patch any tears.   Chill for at least half an hour.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a bowl, beat together egg, milk, and pepper.  Get out the tin.  Distribute onion among the shells.  Then portion out the egg.  It's less than a tablespoon per crust.  Sprinkle tops with havarti.  Bake for 15 minutes, then start checking every 5.  Tarts are ready when the crust is lightly golden and the tops are set and starting to brown.  Mine were about 25 minutes, but every oven and pan  is different.  These are very easy to burn.

5.  Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then pop out.  Can be served warm or allowed to cool to room temperature.

Makes 1 dozen

Difficulty rating :)