For the past few years, Joan has donated a luncheon at her home to be part of the annual Planned Parenthood Choices Affairs, and each year, there’s been a clamor to attend! Joan and friend Jeanne prepare a creative menu, using garden ingredients and colorful combinations to offer a beautiful multi-course reward for the first 20 people who sign up.
This year, the lucky attendees were served chicken stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, feta and spinach, as well as asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, roasted tomatoes, creamy polenta, and scrumptious cream puffs filled with stracciatella (gelato), drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream for dessert. To start things off, though, they adapted a recipe from the New York Times for Fig Tart with Caramelized Onions, Rosemary, and Stilton. It was a beautiful way to greet guests and is definitely something that could go on any summer table.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions (1½ pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
- Pinch sugar
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 egg
- Flour for dusting
- I sheet prepared puff pastry (if frozen, follow directions on box for prep)
- 1 pint fresh figs (3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
- 1½ ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional
- In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil.
- Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth.
- Stir in the onions.
- Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.
- Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border.
- Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture.
- Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs.
- Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.
- Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.