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Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pear Puffs

This is my final recipe for 2015, and it’s a tasty one 🙂

Blue-Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pear Puffs

This recipe starts with frozen puff pastry, one of my fav ready-made products.  I mean what’s not to love about flaky, golden pastry ready in a matter of moments?  Such a time-saver.

Said puff pastry is then rolled out, cut into squares and draped into muffin cups.  Each cup bakes up into a beautiful flower-shaped vessel.  The filling for these cups is a mixture of rich Cambozola cheese, fragrant pear and meltingly sweet caramelized onions.  Chopped parsley adds a hit of freshness.  These Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pear Puffs are a perfect New Year’s Eve appetizer.  Especially when paired with some bold Bordeaux wine.  More about that plus the recipe below.

Sliced Onions

Caramelized Onions

Caramelizing onions is a task that can take some time, but luckily, I developed a little trick to speed up the process.  Drop sliced onions in a large, hot, dry pan set over medium-high heat. They should sizzle immediately.  Cook onions until they’re dark brown and starting to soften (about 5 minutes).  The bottom of the pan will look like hell.  Next, add fat to the pan (2 tablespoons for a medium onion) along with a big pinch of kosher salt, stirring to coat the onions.  Continue cooking until the onions are very soft and sweet (5 to 10 minutes more).  At this point, you’ve got caramelized onions.  Season to taste with more salt and black pepper.  For this recipe, I’ve deglazed the pan with some red Bordeaux wine to pull up all those good flavors off the bottom of the pan.

Cambozola

Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onions and Pears

I partnered with the good folks over at Bordeaux Wines for this article.  They recently launched a video-series entitled Beyond Bordeaux where host and Sommelier Patrick Cappiello explores the people and places unique to Bordeaux.  I’ve watched a number of these videos, and they’re super interesting:

These videos remind me of my recent adventures in Tuscany with DaVinci Wines.  You can really appreciate wine even more when you learn about the people, history and culture that surround the wine’s place of origin.  Videos like these make me want to hop on a plane to France and dive right into the experience (and wine!).

Bordeaux Wine

Blue-Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pear Puffs
5 from 1 vote
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Blue Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pear Puffs

Servings 12 bites
Author Brandon Matzek

Ingredients

  • 1 package (2 sheets frozen puff pastry)
  • 1 medium red onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons red Bordeaux wine
  • 7 ounces Cambozola*
  • 4 tablespoons heavy cream, divided (3 for the filling, 1 for the egg wash)
  • 1 ripe pear (core removed and diced)
  • 1 heaping tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 lighly beaten egg + 1 egg yolk

Serve with more red Bordeaux wine. I'm drinking a Chateau Timberlay Merlot blend here.

Instructions

  1. Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, drop in sliced onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown and somewhat soft (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, and add the butter and a big pinch of kosher salt, stirring to coat the onions. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and sweet (5 to 10 minutes more). Add 3 tablespoons of wine, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook for just 1 minute more until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper, then transfer onions to a cutting board to cool.
  3. Once cool, chop up caramelized onions, then add to a medium bowl along with the Cambozola, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, diced pear and chopped parsley. Using a fork, mash together the ingredients until combined. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper, then stir in the beaten egg.
  4. Preheat an oven to 400°F, and place an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
  5. Roll out puff pastry into a 12-inch square. Cut pastry into 9 even squares, then place a square in each muffin cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides and leaving the corners pointing up. Repeat with remaining sheet of puff pastry, but only cut 3 additional squares. Divide filling between the cups. Fold pastry over filling, pressing corners together to meet in center. Beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream together, then brush the top of each pastry evenly with the egg wash. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed (about 25 minutes).
  6. Transfer the muffin tin to a cooling rack, and let the puffs cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out the puffs onto the cooling rack, and let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy with a glass of red Bordeaux wine!

Recipe Notes

*Cambozola is a mix of brie and blue cheese that pairs beautifully with red Bordeaux wine. I wouldn't recommend using a stronger blue cheese, because the flavor can clash with the bold red.

Check out these other New Year’s Eve appetizers on Kitchen Konfidence:

Mustard Deviled Eggs with Crispy Chicken Skin

Mustard Deviled Eggs with Crispy Chicken Skin

Charred Onion and Bacon Dip

Bacon Onion Dip

Tomato and Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

Cocktail Sauce With Shrimp

Walnut Ricotta Crostini with Arugula and Soft-Boiled Eggs

Walnut Ricotta Crostini with Arugula and Soft-Boiled Eggs

Pear Carpaccio

Pear Carpaccio

 

This post was written in partnership with Bordeaux Wines.  All thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own.

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Comments

  2. 5 stars
    I am still so envious ( in a good way) that you got sent to Italy this year. I am hoping 2016 is the year I finally get to go to Italy!!! And if Bordeaux wines sends you to France – take me with you!! I love this recipe – a gorgeous recipe to end the year with.

    Reply

  3. This is a fabulous recipe! I intend to make these cups for friends who don’t like blue cheese. do you have a substitution suggestion? Any thoughts about using Brie alone?
    Thank you.

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I really need to make something with puff pastry and this looks perfect. I really love onions (don’t judge me lol) and I’m curious about pairing them with pear! Gorgeous photos, yum yum

    Reply

  7. First off, HECK YES to store bough pastry. I always keep a box in my freezer for when the mood strikes. DOn’t get me wrong, I 100% appreciate (and make) my own, but sometimes, it’s just easier then arguing with cold butter that won’t cut like you want it to!!

    Secondly, this looks amazing. Actually this (paired with the one of course) would be a lovely appetizer for say… Valentine’s Day?! Love it! The pear, blue cheese and caramelized onions are just a flavour combo that can’t be beat!

    Reply

    • I’ve never actually made puff pastry. Seems reeaaaaally involved. I don’t mind make pie crust, but for puff pastry, I’ll use frozen :P. Thanks!!

      Reply

  10. These little puffs look ridiculously addicting. I can just about taste the salty blue cheese paired with the sweet creamy onions…Heaven.

    Reply

  14. You’ve combined some of my favorite favors for these litt tidbits. I adore blue cheese and caramelized onions. I’m thinking these would make an awesome Super Bowl snack.

    Reply

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