Before I begin with a new recipe, I have to confess, I did not make any headway on the master closet yesterday. The reason is that I spent 4 hours online at defensive driving school after a photo radar ticket came in the mail. I hate photo radar!

I admit that I speed, going the speed limit is against my very nature but I am usually hyper-alert to photo radar traps. The worst part about it is that on the day I was flashed, I was on my way home from doing good deeds, delivering face masks and food to others. As they say, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Anyhow, I’ll try to get after that closet today.

I don’t know if any of you ran into the same issue with your Easter meal as I did. For weeks we were asked to only buy enough groceries for the week ahead, which I abide by. Then the week before Easter we were asked to avoid going to grocery stores altogether, if at all possible. Since Easter brunch only consisted of Connor, Dave, and myself, I decided that I could make that possible.

I knew that I had cooked chicken and caramelized onions in the freezer, about a cup of milk and eggs in the refrigerator, tomatoes on the counter, herbs in the garden, potatoes in the pantry, and, of course, plenty of cheese. I could make a tart! The only thing I was missing was butter to make a homemade crust. I generally have puff pastry in the freezer, but I’d used that a couple of weeks ago and had not remembered to replace it. No butter, no puff pastry, no crust … hmm, I could use the potatoes as a crust. I gave that a try but would advise against it. A fair amount of the egg filling ran out of the tart pans, so I’m writing the recipe using a puff pastry crust and layering in the potatoes with the other fillings.

Note #1: I also did not have heavy cream, so I boiled down my 1 cup of 2% milk reducing it to 1/2 cup. Not as rich and creamy, but it worked. You should use cream, as the recipe calls for.

Note #2: I also used 3 rectangular tart pans instead of a round, only because I was taking food to my dad and I knew that squares would be easier to cut and easier for him to reheat instead of wedges.

Our Easter tart was still delicious, and if you make this recipe, yours will be prettier with the puff pastry setting off the scalloped edges of the tart pan.

Quarantine Easter Tart with Caramelized Onions, Thyme, Potatoes, and Chicken

Caramelized Onions

• 2 pounds sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chicken broth and/or white wine
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Tart

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• Olive oil
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
• 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped, divided
• 7-ounce package Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar (or another white cheddar of your choice), grated and divided
• 8 ounces brie, rind removed and cut or torn into small pieces
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Garnish

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Mixed fresh herbs (such as dill, parsley, sage, and basil. Stir clear of rosemary and cilantro)

Caramelized Onions: Place an extra-large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, turn the heat to medium-low and add the sliced onions, separating them into individual rings as they are added to the skillet. Once the onions are wilted down and are soft and translucent, add the garlic, and dried thyme, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slowly cook until the onions are a medium caramel color, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Do not try to rush, it takes time and patience to get perfectly caramelized onions. Stir often, and as needed, as the onions stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1 tablespoon of chicken broth or white wine at a time. This will bring up the brown bits at the bottom and prevent the onions from burning. After cooking for about 40 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and cook for the remaining 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Tart: Soak potato slices in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Drain well; pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the puff pastry to fit a 12-inch round removable base tart tin, prick all over with a fork. Place in the freezer while you cook the potatoes.

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to reach a depth of about 1/4-inch; when the oil is hot, add potato in one layer, working in batches, pan-fry just until the potato slices are softened but not brown, about 3 minutes per batch.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer potato slices to paper towels, in a single layer and immediately sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Remove the tart pan from the freezer, and cover the puff pastry with a layer of potatoes. Top with half of the caramelized onions; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the fresh thyme leaves. Next, add half of the chicken. Sprinkle on half of the grated cheddar.

Layer again with the potatoes, onion, and chicken. Dot with the brie pieces and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, the remaining 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves and cream, and pour over the filling.

Sprinkle on the remaining cheddar. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filling is set and the pastry is golden. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tart pan and cutting.

At last night’s cooking class, one of the dishes I made was a Caramelized Onion & Apple Tart. What was different and a little special about it was that instead of caramelizing the onions in my usual way, I made them in a slow cooker.

It takes more than half a day, but once all the onions are peeled and sliced, the work is essentially done.

Plus it makes a ton, so you can freeze them and keep them all to yourself … or be generous and give them as gifts. If you are so sweetly inclined, you’ll end up with about 10 half-pint jars. Not much effort to put in – and end up with 10 presents and happy friends!

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One of the things you’ll usually find in my refrigerator is caramelized onions, sometimes called onion jam.

I use them in roasted meats, savory tarts, gravy, sandwiches, quiche, soups, appetizers, on pizzas, you name it!

The process of cooking the onions is slow but crucial to achieving that soft, tender, sweet caramelized taste. On the plus side, they can be made days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or even frozen.

Considered the crown jewel of dates, Medjool are prized for their large size, extraordinary sweetness, and chewy texture. They were once reserved for Moroccan royalty and their guests.

Put the sweet onions together with the sweet dates, wrap them in bacon, and you have perfection! Serve these to your family and guests and thank me later.

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This is the recipe for Chef John Ash’s favorite chicken sandwich. After you have it, you’ll understand why. It uses the poached chicken from yesterday’s post. I used about half of the shredded breast meat from that recipe. So basically the breast meat from one chicken to make 16 slider sandwiches.

I find the pretzel bread sliders at Costco. These things are addicting! If they ever stop carrying them….   I. Will. Be. Devastated. Honestly!

Chef Ash also suggests creating elegant hors d’oeurves by omitting the buns altogether and serving the remaining sandwich components on crackers or toasted baguette slices. Brilliant!

Although the sandwiches come together quickly, you do need to make the caramelized onion jam ahead of time and plan accordingly.  Chef Ash says that the jam is also fabulous with grilled lamb or on a toasted blue cheese sandwich. Just the thought of that makes my mouth water!

The jam also makes the perfect gift. It may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or maybe canned using the water bath method.  Go HERE (scroll down about 2/3 of the way and follow the directions under the headings “canned pickles” and “processing”) if you want to make a huge batch, can it, and bestow it as a gift it to your favorite people. Be sure to include a couple of recipe cards for the poached chicken and this sandwich,  your friends will love you forever. I Promise!

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One week from today is St. Patrick’s Day!  Here are a few fun St. Patrick and St. Patrick’s Day facts from Wikipedia:

• Blue was the original color associated with St. Patrick, not green.
• St Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish people.
• St. Patrick died on March 17th 461 AD.
• The Irish Society of Boston organized what was not only the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the colonies but the first recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the world on 17 March 1737.
• The first parade in Ireland was not until the 1931 parade in Dublin.
• Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and had the idea to turn the river green for St. Patrick’s Day.
• St. Patrick’s Day is a one-day reprieve from the forty days of fasting during the season of Lent. For many Christians, this includes indulging in ale.
• Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-colored clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched, usually affectionately.
• And of course, corned beef and cabbage is the food most associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States.

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Exactly two weeks ago I made Preserved Lemons and encouraged you to do the same, hopefully, you did, because today is the day to crack those babies open and begin to enjoy their amazing flavor.

I’ll be serving my Moroccan chicken with a little couscous made with chicken broth and seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, and a few currants… enough already! No more time to blog…time to eat!

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Yes, it’s true, I’m still talking about our gorgeous Sunday Valentine’s Day at the Queen Creek Olive Mill, hope you don’t mind ~ because I really love that place! I picked up a bottle of one of their new flavored balsamic kinds of vinegar. Fig Balsamic – delicious!

You too can have a bottle of balsamic or any one of their amazing olive oils… just click here and mail order.

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Finally, the last of the Jamaican appetizer recipes! I saved the best for last, this was my favorite. Caramelized onions are such an amazing thing – the transformation of the pungent and sharp flavor of a raw onion into something similar to candy – wow! The leek jam is just another form of caramelized onion, with a twist. The Jamaican sauce called Pickapeppa was found along with other condiments near the Tabasco sauce at my neighborhood Safeway grocery store.  It was the first time I purchased or used it, yummy! The rest of the ingredients, from the ciabatta to the Parmesan, hummus, and rock shrimp were all found at Trader Joe’s.

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