These puff pastry tarts with figs and brie are a super simple Christmas appetizer. Don't they look insanely festive?
I really like puff pastry appetizers. They are usually very easy to make, and you can easily adapt them to everyone's taste.
Why you'll love this recipe
Serves a crowd - these brie and fig puff pastry tarts can serve a crowd. You can easily double up (or triple up) the recipe and serve a full table of guests in no time!
A make ahead recipe - you can prepare the onions a day before serving, and chop up the cheese and figs a few hours before. Mise en place, all done! These puff pastry tarts only need about 10 minutes in the oven, so you can spend time with your guests instead of hanging around in kitchen all evening.
Easily adjustable - not a fan of brie? Not a problem! No figs available at the moment? No problem! The cheese can be replaced with any French cheese and the figs can be replaced with grapes. Make the puff pastry tarts to everyone's taste, with limited effort.
Ingredients for brie and fig puff pastry
To make the brie and fig puff pastry tarts, you'll need:
Puff pastry - you can use fresh or frozen puff pastry. It won't make a difference for this recipe.
Onions - The caramelized onions give this dish so much flavor. You can use yellow or red onions, but I have a slight preference for red onions.
Sugar - a tiny bit of caster sugar helps to caramelize the onion.
Brie cheese - use the best quality brie you can afford!
Figs - use fresh figs for this recipe. Preferably lovely and ripe, but not overripe. This will make the puff pastry tarts a bit soggy.
Egg - a little egg wash helps to make the puff pastry nice and shiny. Substitute with milk if you can't have eggs.
Thyme - gives a beautiful herby touch to the brie and fig puff pastry tarts. I prefer fresh thyme, but this can be replaced with the dried version.
Honey - just a tiny bit of honey brings out the sweetness of the dish.
Variation tips: add some chopped walnuts to the tarts. Replace the brie with blue cheese for a completely different flavor. Experiment with other herbs like oregano or rosemary.
Frequently asked questions
That's no problem at all. You can replace the brie in these puff pastry tarts with another tasty cheese: camembert, goat cheese, or blue cheese. They're all delicious!
Grapes are a great substitute for the figs in this recipe. They pair wonderfully with almost every French cheese.
Brie and fig puff pastry
Ingredients
- 4 sheets puff pastry
- 2 red onions
- 2 teaspoon caster sugar
- 3,5 oz brie
- 4 figs
- 1 egg
- thyme (fresh or dried)
- honey
Instructions
- Cut the onion into half rings and gently fry in olive oil until soft and glazed. Add the sugar and allow to caramelize briefly.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F.
- Remove the slices of puff pastry from the freezer and spread the onions on top.
- Dice the brie cheese and slice the figs. Divide the cheese and figs among the puff pastry tarts.
- Brush the edges of the puff pastry with a little beaten egg, and sprinkle the tarts with fresh thyme.
- Bake the puff pastry tarts for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Drizzle with a bit of honey and serve the tarts immediately.
Leave a Reply