Tart of the Month - Apple and Caramelized Onion

If I've learned one thing from my Tart of the Month series, it's  this: Keep frozen puff pastry on hand and you can whip up a tart for dinner, breakfast or appetizers any time. 

We are moving to a new house at the end of the month so we have been very busy for a while now. So this tart is extremely easy and uses ingredients we always have on hand.  It's just apples, onions, sour cream and puff pastry. 

Here's what you need for these easy, tasty tarts:

Tart of the Month - Flammekueche (Tarte Flambée)

This month's tart is something I've enjoyed several times in pubs and beer bars. Tarte flambée is from Alsace, a region of France bordering Germany and Switzerland. The Alsatian name for it is flammekueche and it's very much like a pizza.  It's quite simple but requires a very hot oven and some special ingredients. 

Here's what you need for this tasty snack or meal.

Apple and Onion Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

What a nice fall dish!  I like to grill pork tenderloin, but this stuffed version is cooked indoors in a pan and turns out beautifully.  This recipe comes from Clean Eating magazine.  I wish they'd put their recipes online.  I had to try a few tricks to get it cooked through at the end but the results were delish.

All you need is a pork tenderloin, an apple, two onions and some oil, salt and pepper. 

Thinly slice the onion. 

Heat a little oil in a large pan.

And add the sliced onions.

Let them caramelize for about 15 minutes.

Then thinly slice the apple.  I used a Granny Smith and didn't bother to peel it.

Add the sliced apples to the onions.

Toss the apples with the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until the apples are slightly softened.

Put the onions and apples aside in a bowl to cool slightly.

Now for the pork.  Butterfly it. This sounds more complicated than it really is but you just have to slice  the pork until it's flat.  

Make a slit lengthwise along the edge of the tenderloin without cutting all the way through.

Rotate the tenderloin so the slit is at the top and slice again.

Open up the tenderloin so it's lying flat.

Keep slicing until it's completely laid flat and relatively the same thickness all over.
Confusing? Here are some other instructions that might help.

Once the pork is flat, salt and pepper the inside.

Spread the apple onion mixture over the pork.

And add a little more salt and pepper.

Now you're going to need some string.  Butcher's twine is best.  Cut about six 12-inch lengths.

Now start rolling up the tenderloin.  Roll one long end over.

Then slip the twine under the middle of tenderloin and tightly knot it.

Continue tying the tenderloin at regular intervals to keep the filling inside.  

Cut off the long ends of the string, then salt and pepper the outside of the stuffed pork.

Now heat some more oil in the pan over medium heat and place the pork, knot side down in the hot pan.

Flip the tenderloin a quarter turn. You want to sear all sides but cook it slowly so the inside cooks as well.

Flip again to brown all sides.
Now if you cook it low and slow, you should be able to get the inside cooked.  But you can cut it in half to check how it's doing.  

Mine was still quite pink in the centre so I seared the cut ends as well.

I cut it again and still wasn't quite comfortable with the doneness so I put it back in the pan with a little apple juice just to make sure it was fully cook.  Pork can be a little pink but if it's stuffed like this it's harder to get cooked through.

Finally it was done and I served it up with some sage and rosemary squash.

This was a little more finicky than I expected but the results were worth it.  The caramelized onions and apples give it such a nice, rich, seasonal flavour.  

French Onion Pastina - Cheap & Delicious

There's nothing better than when a few inexpensive pantry ingredients turn into one of the easiest and most delicious meals around.  


I am unfortunately biased against pantry meals.  I keep  a well-stocked pantry with canned tomatoes, pasta, vinegars, and beans on hand at all times, but I generally only really enjoy and feel good about a meal that has some fresh green vegetables in it or on the side.  


I should just get over it though.  Life is so much simpler when you can whip up a delicious, hearty and warm pasta meal without going out in the cold for fresh supplies.


This recipe comes from Serious Eats and I've made it so many times I almost have it memorized.  The only hardship is carmelizing the onions, which always takes longer than I expect.  Chopping the onions by hand is also no fun, but ever since I wised up and started slicing them in the food processor, it is easy as pie!

You'll need about a pound of onions (I used extra to account for the peels), olive oil, beef broth, thyme (fresh or dried), parmesan, salt and pepper.  That's it!

Oh, except for this. Pastina or acini di pepe or peperini or any tiny little pasta ball. I got this brand at an Italian specialty store, but you'll generally be able to find it at the regular grocery store.

First the onions...

Peel the onions and slice them in half to feed into the food processor.  If slicing by hand, try to make the slices as evenly sized as possible. The food processor will help with this and with the inevitable tears.

Feed the onions through the slicing blade of the food processor until you end up with what seems like an insane amount of sliced onions.

Heat olive oil in a large pan. I like to use a high-sided pan so everything fits nicely.  

Add all the onions to the pan and prepare for the slowest magic trick in history.

All these onions will cook down to a tiny amount of beautiful carmelized onions.  

This is about half way to done. You can see some brown edges, but the onions still have moisture to give up.

Once the onions have cooked down for 30 to 40 minutes, remove about 1/4 of them from the pan and sprinkle a bit of flour over the rest.  

Next, add the stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Then add the pasta.

Let this simmer together for about 8 or 9 minutes until the pasta is tender and has absorbed much of the liquid.  

When it is cooked, mix in grated parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Top with additional parmesan and the reserved onions.  


I like to serve this with leftover roast beef and/or a side salad.  It is a delicious and easy treat that is great for a cold winter night.