Warm goat cheese tart w/ caramelized onions

from: theredspoon.com
I made a smaller portion

INGREDIENTS:

Crust:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 extra-large egg yolks
3 tablespoons ice-cold water

Filling:
1/4 olive oil
3 large yellow onions, halved through the stem end and thinly sliced into 1/8-inch half-moons
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounce fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 extra-large eggs
1 extra-large egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

To make the crusts, combine the flour, salt and chilled butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the 2 egg yolks and ice water through the feed tube. Continue to process until the dough forms a ball, about 20 seconds. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 1 disk if making the 10-inch tart. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Over a low flame, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir occasionally, cooking the onions until soft and golden reducing their volume by nearly half; this can take up to 1 hour. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, draining off any excess oil. Discard the thyme and bay leaf.

Meanwhile, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Coat the tart pan with nonstick spray. Fit the dough snugly into the pan pressing it firmly into the bottom edges and sides. trim the excess with a sharp knife and prick the dough several times with the tines of a fork. Place the tart pans on a sheet tray for easy handling. Line the dough with aluminum foil, and weigh down with raw rice or beans. bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue to bake a few minutes more, until the crust takes on a light brown color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while the filling is completed.

In a food processor or in the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the goat cheese, cream cheese, 2 eggs, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Process until smooth.

Spread the caramelized onions evenly over the bottom of the prebaked tart shells and pour the cheese mixture over the onions, filling to just below the rim. Using a wide pastry brush, gently brush the beaten egg yolk over the top of the tarts.

Bake for 12 minutes, until set. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and serve warm.

Harissa stuffed mushrooms

From thechew.com

CAUTION >>> HOT HOT HOT


INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon Harissa Spice Mix
1/2 cup Cream Cheese (softened)
2 pounds Cremini Mushrooms (cleaned; stems removed)
1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
Olive Oil


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 350°F. Place a wire rack inside a baking sheet.

Place the Mushrooms, stem side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes to allow Mushrooms to release excess moisture. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.

While the Mushrooms are baking, blend together the Harissa spice mix and cream cheese to form a paste. Transfer the mix to a piping bag or zip top bag.

Flip the Mushrooms over to reveal the cavity. Fill the Mushrooms with Cream Cheese mixture.

Stir together the Panko & some Olive Oil; just to lightly coat. Sprinkle the mixture over the filled Mushrooms.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until Panko is golden. (mine could've used more browning)

Remove and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip

From Emeril Lagasse foodnetwork.com

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt
Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack (about 2 ounces)
1 cup chopped onions
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach, stemmed, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and julienned

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil and flour in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly 5 to 6 minutes for a blond roux. Whisk in the milk and bring the liquid up to a boil. Season the liquid with salt and cayenne. Simmer the liquid for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the liquid is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cheeses. Set the sauce aside.
In a saute pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in handfuls of spinach at a time, until all the spinach is incorporated. Add the garlic and artichoke and saute for 2 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Remove the vegetables from the heat and turn into a mixing bowl. Fold the cheese sauce into the vegetables. 
Turn the mixture into a baking pan. 
Bake the dip for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Stuffed mushrooms (no bread)

From allrecipes.com w/ minor tweaks

INGREDIENTS

12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder




DIRECTIONS


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cilantro and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
When garlic, cilantro and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and onion powder. 

Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. 

Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.