Goat Cheese and Pepper Jelly Tart from Made in Louisiana

using goat cheese from Southern Maids Dairy

On this week's episode of Made in Louisiana, I traveled to Circle M Farms in Franklinton, Louisiana, the home of Southern Maids Dairy. This goat dairy, owned by Nathan and Erin Miller, produces goat milk products ranging from goat cheese to feta and yogurt. Plus, they're one of only two producer-processor dairies in the state producing Creole cream cheese in-house.

I've been a customer of Southern Maids Dairy for a few years, and I'm always impressed with the quality of their product. I'm a huge goat cheese fan, and this tart balances its bold flavor with sweet caramelized onions and pepper jelly. This dish is great for sharing and has its place saved on my future dinner party menus. It's delicious and deceivingly impressive. After the onions are caramelized, the tart comes together in minutes and will be on the table within a half hour.

Check out the full episode of Made in Louisiana, with visual recipe instructions, below.

GOAT CHEESE AND PEPPER JELLY TART WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

INGREDIENTS

Include everything your reader needs to make this recipe perfectly, with measurements, optional additions, or alternatives. For example:

• 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry dough (around 10" by 10", but slightly larger or smaller will work)

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• salt, to taste

• 1 egg, mixed with one tablespoon of water

• 1/2 a cup of pepper jelly (or an alternative, like bacon jam)

• 3-4 oz of goat cheese, crumbled

• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

• black pepper, freshly cracked, if possible
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Thinly slice one large onion. To caramelize, cook the onions in a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt over medium-low heat until they reach your desired level of color and flavor, at least an hour for proper caramelization.

   1. To shave a little time off this step, start the onions on medium-high heat and saute with 1/4 of a cup of water. Once the water evaporates, 5-10 minutes, drop the heat to medium-low and caramelize as usual. The water will allow the onions to briefly cook at a higher temperature without browning, which will break them down and move them along in the cooking process.

2. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly defrost the frozen puff pastry sheet according to the package instructions and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. To prepare the dough, lightly score a border around each side of the puff pastry, about 1 inch from the edge. Do not cut through the dough. Puncture the inner square (or rectangle) multiple times with a fork to create air holes. Brush the outside border with eggwash (1 egg mixed with a tablespoon of water).

3. Add the toppings, starting by spreading the layer of pepper jelly. Next, evenly spread all of the caramelized onions, followed by the goat cheese crumbles. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and cracked black pepper.

4. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

5. Enjoy!

Did you make this? Let me know in the comments, or tag me at @jillian.blair on Instagram or @withlovejillianblair on TikTok or Facebook.