Goats Cheese, Red Pepper and Walnut Tarts

Put the onions, 1 tsp of the balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt in a frying pan at the lowest heat, stir together, put a tightly fitting lid on and cook for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes remove the lid and cook for 10 minutes or so to let the liquid evaporate and the onions caramelise.

Roast the red peppers uncovered in the top of the oven gas 6 for 45 minutes until the skins become wrinkled and burnt. Remove from the oven and let cool. Skin the peppers discard the seeds keeping only the flesh. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface roll the pastry into a sausage shape and cut into 6 discs, roll each disc out so that is is large enough to line an 8cm mini loose bottomed flan tin.

Grease the flan tins with butter and line each with the pastry taking care to press the dough into the corners and leaving a little standing proud at the edges. Chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Prick the bottoms of each tart cases with a fork and blind bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the baking beans and return to the oven for 3 minutes to dry out the pastry a little. Remove from the oven.

Dry fry the walnuts in a hot frying pan with 1 tsp of the balsamic vinegar for 3-4 minutes or until a roasted aroma comes off the pan.

To asssemble the tarts spoon the onions between the tart cases to create a bottom layer. Next, divide the red pepper flesh between the tarts to create another layer. Sprinkle the roasted walnuts over the peppers. Finally crumble the goats cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the goats cheese starts to brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

There is a lot going on in this recipe and these take some time to prepare, but the end result is absolutely worth it! The onions and peppers can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge until it is time to bake.