Savory SarVecchio Tarts

You don’t have to be a trained pasty chef or a worldly traveler to experience a savory tart emerging from the oven, fluffy and fragrant with caramelized onions, herbs and the buttery smell of SarVecchio.

This simple variation on a French classic is especially easy when you opt for the store bought pastry short cut. With a sprinkling of briny olives, these tarts are tangy and meaty with a buttery finish. For obvious reasons, the anchovies are optional.

They are also great the next morning, warmed with a fried egg on top (although the French would bitterly disagree with this).

* Serves 2

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 pinch dried thyme

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

4 oz SarVecchio

1/4 cup Mixed Country Olives, pitted and chopped

2 or 3 anchovy fillets (optional), rinsed

All-purpose flour, for dusting

Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter with oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme, and cook until onions are golden and soft, about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry, and trim if needed. I made a 6x6 square. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, transfer to oven, and immediately reduce oven to 400. Bake until pastry begins to rise, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven promptly to add toppings.

Brush pastry with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange onions in a single layer over pastry, leaving a border around edge. Generously grate SarVecchio over onions. Top with olives (and anchovies if using). Reduce oven to 375 and bake for 15 minutes until puffed and golden. Cut into squares and serve.