Hosting a family gathering or party? Stuck for canape ideas? These goat's cheese and Taing onion marmalade tartlets make a super starter or canape! Jill Franklin, owner of Shetlandeli, a new (launched this year) business based on the rural west side of Shetland, gave me this recipe a few months ago to try. I've since made it with Ninian's soft cheese from the Shetland Cheese company, and today I tried it with feta cheese in miniature form - a perfect canape!
One of the perks of being a food blogger is you get to eat your photographs. As I type this post I'm scoffing these still-warm tartlets right off my bamboo serving board. Delicious! The sweet, sticky slow cooked onion marmalade pairs really well with the goat's cheese and flaky pastry.
The original recipe Jill gave me, using their delicious Taing Onion Marmalade (my favourite of their four products), uses 50 grams less shortcrust pastry and the tartlets are made in 4 x four inch round loose bottomed tart tins. The remaining ingredients and cooking instructions are all the same - I just adapted it slightly to make miniature versions, ideal for canapes.
These would be great served with a Shetland Cheese board along with the other Shetlandeli chutneys, especially the Valhalla Ale one (pictured in the top photo, right corner).
Shetlandeli do mail order, and their online shop is open and taking orders! You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Goat's Cheese & Taing Tartlets
Course: Main
Servings: 12 tartlets
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Ingredients:
- Shortcrust pastry - 200 grams (shop bought or home made)
- Goats cheese - 175 grams (or other soft cheese i.e. Ninian's)
- Egg yolk - 1
- Shetland Dairies double cream - 1-2 tbsp
- Sea salt -
- Freshly ground black pepper -
- Taing onion marmalade - 6 tsp
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- Roll out the shortcrust pastry to a 1/4 inch thickness.
- Gently press small squares of grease proof paper onto the top of each pastry circle and fill with a few baking beans.
- Bake for 10 minutes, remove the grease proof paper squares and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove any rind from the cheese and crumble it into a small bowl. Add the beaten egg and double cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- When the pastry is done, allow to cool for 5 minutes before spooning half a teaspoonful of Taing onion marmalade into the bottom of each tartlet case.
- Top with the goats cheese mixture and bake for 7-8 minutes (my oven needs 10).
- Carefully remove the tarts from the tins and place on plates to serve. This works really well with a rocket salad – and makes a great starter or canape.
- Cut into 3 inch rounds and press gently into the bottom of a 12 hole muffin tin or tart tin.
Elizabeth Atia
I am a self taught home cook, feeding my family on the west side of Shetland with as much local produce, flavour and love as I can. I am no expert by any means, but I do enjoy learning and writing about food, flavours and techniques.