Upside Down Onion & Gruyère Tarts

Upside Down Onion & Gruyère Tarts combine the sweet richness of caramelised onions with the nuttiness of Gruyère cheese. 

Ideally enjoyed along with friends and a bottle of Laborie Wines CC Nectar Rosé, these delicious upside down tarts are super easy to make (especially with the help of store-bought puff pastry).

Upside Down Onion & Gruyère Tarts

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Fresh thyme leaves, salt, and black pepper, to taste
• 100g Gruyère, grated + extra if needed
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Drizzle small amounts of honey onto the baking paper, creating 9 separate honey pools. 
3. Sprinkle each pool of honey with fresh thyme leaves, season with salt and black pepper, then place slices of onion on top of each followed by small handfuls of grated gruyère cheese.
4. Cut the puff pastry into 9 equal rectangles and place one on top of each honey, thyme, onion, and cheese stack.
5. Brush the top of each puff pastry tart with beaten egg. then bake for 20 minutes, or until the tarts are nicely browned and puffed up.
6. Remove the tarts from the oven and carefully flip each one with a spatula or offset palette knife. 
7. Best eaten slightly warm and on the same day.

FACT SHEET: LABORIE LA GRAND VIE CC NECTAR ROSÉ

Wine of Origin: Cape Town

Vintage Conditions: Ahead of this challenging vintage, winter brought enough cold to break dormancy although drought conditions persisted. It was the third year in a row without groundwater recharge. The cool weather continued into spring and delayed bud break, which occurred without incident. Cooler nights and days with higher than long-term rainfall kept vine development on track. October and November saw higher rainfall, but not enough to make up the deficit while Southeaster winds during flowering had a variety of impacts. December and January were significantly warmer than 2017. Harvest also began five days later and was defined by small berries, low yields and big concentrations. Despite the rollercoaster ride, the harvest’s near-perfect timing produced great, elegant wines with full ripeness.

Varieties: 60.7% Pinot noir, 34.1% Chardonnay, 5.2% Pinotage

Maturation: This Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) was matured on lees, in the bottle, for 18 months.

Winemaking: The grapes were hand-harvested into bins in the cool of the morning. They were then whole-bunch pressed and only free-run juice was used for the final blend. A selected yeast strain was used for primary fermentation. A 10% portion of the Chardonnay was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine was blended and bottled and underwent a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This was followed by bottle maturation of approximately 18 months. Only then was it disgorged, corked and labelled.

Wine Description: This vibrant salmon pink bubbly is laced with prominent aromas of fresh red berries and velvety cherry notes. The palate is seductively fresh with lingering tastes of creamy nougat and strawberries all perfectly balanced with hints of citrus. The mousse is elegant and fine. Bubbles of pure enjoyment.

Serving Suggestion: Enjoy this bubbly chilled, on its own or with delicate seafood dishes, entrées and desserts like these Raspberry & Vanilla Choux Cream Puffs.

Wine Analysis:

Alcohol: 11.85 % v/v
pH: 3.15
Total acidity: 6.8 g/l
Residual sugar: 40.0 g/l

THIS RECIPE AND POST WERE CREATED AS A PAID PARTNERSHIP WITH LABORIE WINES