What a mouthful for a title, hey? But “a mouthful” is appropriate, because that’s exactly what everyone will have when you bring out these beautiful little treats.
This is one of my GO-TO recipes when we go to parties and need to bring a dish. It looks like pizza, so people immediately go for it. The onions- sweet from being caramelized in Sherry wine- pack a pinch of heat from the cayenne. The tangy and creamy goat cheese makes believers out of even the most picky eaters. This also works great on baguette, as a crostini.
You simply must try this (and…you’re welcome!).
Lots of pantry basics-
A large onion (sliced vertically)..
Cayenne Pepper..
Sherry Cooking Wine..
Golden Raisins..
Flatbread. I cheated and used a boxed mix. Use your favorite pizza crust recipe or favorite premade pizza crust (Trader Joes, Spartan Brand, etc)..
Goat Cheese..
The end!
Okay, there a few steps involved. But easy ones! Like, caramelizing onions. The *key* to this is LOW heat and PATIENCE!!! Don’t stir them until they start to turn golden- the longer they are in contact with the bottom of the pan, the sweet they will get. So, ban your impatient, frantic stirring husbands from the kitchen..ah-hem..love you TJ!!
So, start with SLOWLY sauteeing your beautiful, crisp white onion.
After about 15-20 minutes, you will have slightly golden onion slices. NOT THERE YET!
About 45 minutes later, they will be completely golden. This is when you want to crank the heat up to medium, add in your Sherry, Cayenne, and Raisins.
Since you have 45 muintes to caramelize your onions, you have PLENTY of time to prep your flat bread. I took the easy way out lovingly made my box mix, with came out of the oven looking golden brown and herbacious. The “Mediterranean” herb mix was just onion, garlic, oregano, basil, fennel, thyme, chili pepper, marjoram. Yum.
Smeared generously with goat cheese…
and topped with the onion & raisin blend.
Slice, serve and enjoy. These are great cold or room temp. If you put HOT onions on top- the bread can get soggy and the cheese goes running off the bread. Messy. Still tasty, just not as easy to eat.
Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Golden Raisin Flatbread
1 large onion, sliced vertically
2 tbsp Sherry
1/4 tsp cayenne
2/3 cup golden raisins
1 flatbread, prepared as directed
6 oz goat cheese, room temperature
1. Heat your pan to low. Add your onion, and let cautee for about 15-20 minutes. gently stir onions every 10 minutes until total time is about 45 minutes, and onions are a deep golden brown. If your onions begin to stick to the pan, add a tablespoon of water to keep them “loose”.
2. After onions are caramelized, turn heat up to Medium. Add Sherry, cayenne and raisins & immediately remove pan from heat. Stir & let mixture sit until cooled.
3. Spread your flatebread with the softened goat cheese & top with the cooled onion mixture. Slice into desired size & shape and serve.
