Like many Dear Readers, I have had the great fortune not to have gone through a war time rationing period. Still, it doesn’t stop me from mad stockpiling certain items in my kitchen and pantry. My pantry shelves are full of chocolate (you can never have too much, unless of course you’re a dog 
), garlic, condiments, spreads and there is always a good supply of the holy trinity of baking: flour, butter and eggs.
One item that I only realised that I stockpiled was onions. So much so that when I was tidying up the kitchen bench, I found two bags of eschallots and one bag of brown onions that I hadn’t even remembered buying. Was I sleep buying and getting in my car and driving to the shops to buy onions? I suppose that could be possible…
That reminds me, it’s time for Celia’s fun In My Kitchen for this month. I have some new additions to the kitchen including even more chocolate!
Amedei Chuao chocolate
The history of Amedei is one full of intrigue and mystery. It involves prejudice, snobbery and a long held grudge resulting in a triumphant product and the overthrowing of a Goliath by a David. It was Italy versus France set against a river of molten chocolate. Hollywood should make a movie about it. To read more about it, see this fantastic blog post. Anyway, Chuao is expensive stuff. Said to be the world’s best chocolate, it is a bittersweet chocolate that has no edge or bitterness, just a beautiful smoothness and balance. Ferran Adria and Pierre Herme are fans and it’s one of my favourite chocolates ever. I bought a kilo from Tania. I’m tempted just to chip at it and eat it straight…
The rest of the new additions to my kitchen are travel based purchases. Does anyone remember these sweets? I haven’t seen them in years! Bought when I was travelling on the mid north coast.
If I were ever going to get a tattoo, it would probably be based on this design. They’re simple paper bags that I bought from a shop in Franschhoek in South Africa.
Don’t you just love trolling the supermarket aisles in other countries seeing what they have? My favourite aisle is probably the baking aisle as you can get great cupcake liners and decorations. These were bought at a supermarket in Johannesburg and they’re rice paper cupcake decorations with edible pens!
I’m always on the lookout for props and the cups on the left and right were bought in the Blue Mountains at a vintage store (whose name escapes me) and the glasses in the centre from a shop called Lucky Fish in Johannesburg. I just liked the way that these felt in my hand so I bought them on our last day in South Africa and carried them home in my handbag like a complete nut case. And yes I did get odd looks from the people at the airport. I was tempted to tell them that I don’t drink out of plastic cups on planes dahlinks but they might have thought that I was serious…
This was a purchase that is only going to stay in our kitchen temporarily. These were bought for friend Gina’s husband Hot Dog for his help with some handyman stuff around our place. Notice the amusing beer second from the left? Although Hot Dog has trimmed his mullet due to societal pressures, we could not resist buying a beer with his former hair idol on the front.
These are the only things that I didn’t buy myself. This lovely company called Chan’s dumplings sent me a range of their frozen dumplings to try. They’re a small company based in Melbourne and all of their dumplings are hand made and sold as “Yum Cha at Home” and include prawn har gow, potato prawns, siu mai prawn, scallop dumplings and shiitake dumplings. They also stock at the big supermarkets. My favourite was probably the siu mai prawns and the shiitake dumplings although I did fight Mr NQN for my share of the prawn har gows
Oh yes, I was going on wasn’t I? When I chanced upon my extra bags on onions, I decided to make a recipe that I first made about 15 years ago. It’s been a good number of years since I last made it and I’m not quite sure why as everyone loves this tart. It’s a simple puff pastry tart spread with cream cheese and an addictive layer of caramelised onions and sage. I used to make it for dinner parties way before the blog started and once it did, I felt like I should always try new recipes so this sort of fell to the wayside. Anyway, here it is in all of its simple glory. It’s absolutely wonderful and yes, this does qualify as a “pushy” recipe darling Reader
So tell me Dear Reader, what items do you stockpile? And what is your favourite chocolate in the universe?
Caramelised Onion & Cream Cheese Tart
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
- 450g/1 pound brown onions
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 6 or so fresh sage leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- 125g/4 ozs light cream cheese, at room temperature
1. Finely slice the onions using a knife or a mandolin. Heat a saucepan onto medium heat and once it reaches temperature, knock it back down to low (about 3 out of 10). Add the butter and oil and the onions and sage leaves. Slowly cook the onions and sage stirring them occasionally for about 45 minutes. You want to do this low and slow to bring out the sweetness of the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool (you can do this ahead of time and store them in the fridge until ready).
2. Place a baking tray or pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 220c/440F. You want the pastry to cook underneath so placing it on the preheated tray or stone helps keep it crispy at the bottom. Meanwhile, place the sheet of puff pastry on a sheet of baking parchment.
3. Lightly score a border on the edge of the pastry with a paring knife and dock the pastry in the centre with a fork (prick it with a fork to prevent the middle from rising). Then spread the cream cheese within the border outline with a palette knife. Cover with cooled, caramelised onions and baked for about 15-20 minutes until golden and crispy.
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70 Comments | Add your own
Lovely props. The cups on the left are really pretty.
Your tart looks gorgeous! What a tasty topping.
Cheers,
Rosa
mmmm, this tart sounds fantastic! Cream cheese is one of my true weaknesses.
Ooh caramelised onion really is delicious. And on some puff pastry? I think we have a winner!
Thanks for this recipe!! I have almost all those ingredients (except for the puff pastry, but I have shortcrust) and just in time for lunch!!
Having just visited Cocova here in DC this afternoon, in the past two hours I’ve eaten a bar of Fresco 209 Jamaica 70%, which was wonderful, and Recchiuti’s Sesame Nougatine Dark Milk chocolate. And then I ate a Sticky Fingers brownie.
Which means that, for the first time in perhaps my life, I honestly can’t think or want chocolate right now. SALT I NEED SALT.
Props for my photos – I have cupboard loads. And my pantry never seems to dwindle. I wonder why that is? As for chocolate? Anything dark, except for when I’m feeling miserable and then it’s anything cheap and trashy:)
I can never have enough tinned tomatoes, they are so versatile.
I love seeing what you buy when travelling. I used to do that a lot, but seem to be out of room! I stockpile,definitely. It used to be because things weren’t available here in Mexico; now it is just because I stockpile. No new sources of chocolate, but I ate a lot of Mont d’Or when I lived in France. So many new onces since. Love the look of your tart.
I love to stockpile my pantry too, but here, the onions go bad. I never knew onions could go bad so quickly until I came to States. What a bummer!
I love caramelized onions!I bet I could make appetizers out of that, might be a try at our next daylily club’s social night for our next regional meeting.
Onion tart is exactly what I have been after to complete a dinner party menu for tonight. I am having vegetarian friends over for dinner and just need that something extra. I know this will be a favourite. Thanks Lorraine!
Ohhh… I love the sound of this. Is there anything better than caramelised onions?? I tend to stock pile cans of tomatoes, bags of lentils and bunches of coriander. No idea what all those things have in common… just that I always have TONS of them!
Another ‘must try’recipe Lorraine.
Yes I am a stockpiler as I love to bake on the spur of the moment at any hour of the day or night, so like to have everything at hand. Always lots of cooking chocolate,flours, dried fruit, as well as nuts that half fill my back fridge as I use so many in my recipes!Plus can’t resist having every different type of cupcake case, now totally hundreds. I inherited my stockpiling from my mum who having lived through 2 wars in UK always had a stockpile of emergency supplies in the dark cupboard under the stairs throughout our childhood!
Favorite chocolate was Ghirardelli, but no longer eat any chocolate.
I find that you and I are SO SO SO similar Lorraine
Because I always have heaps of chocolate at home! Any chocolate I can get my hands on I will!
Currently, I probably have 8 kgs of chocolate waiting for me to eat and bake it hahaha
I also love going to the baking aisle of supermarkets and whenever there are sales I will always stock up even when I still have 2 bags of caster sugar unopened in the pantry
Hmmm in terms of chocolate…I’m tossing in between Callebaut or Willies i think that’s the chocolate brand yummmm
But i’m super intrigued to try this brand you mentioned 
Wow, lots of goodies in your kitchen this morning, Lorraine! Are those little sweets the ones with aniseed centres and hundreds and thousands outside? Do tell!
Caramelized onions are quite possibly my favorite (savory) thing! Lovely tart and plenty of beautiful things in your kitchen this month. I tend to stockpile tea… I could drink three different flavors per day for a week with all the choices I have!
I love your recipe- will definitely be trying it out! Also the love notes are soooo cute! I want!
What a great recipe indeed- simple ingredients and simple to make, and simply delicious!
For some reason I stockpile coconut milk without meaning to, and my baking pantry- yes I have a whole dedicated baking pantry- is always full of interesting ingredients that catch my eye, the latest addition was an Ube flavouring essence but goodness knows what I’ll do with it yet
Caramelised onions are one of my most favourite things. Can’t say the same about peeling & slicing them, though – but that’s what husbands are for!
Haha I love that feeling of finding lots of different things from ages ago, especially chocolate! But I especially love finding a tart like this in the kitchen it looks delish
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hi NQN there is a job i recently advertised that you may like to apply for – it is through the Murray Valley Standard and the job is to write a blog whilst travelling free (for 2) on a cruise ship which travels around australia – about 7 days I think. If you would like more info I will dig it out for you but i think you would be a great candidate for it – regards Vicki
I’ve still got a whole lot of caramelised onion jam sitting in my fridge… might know what to do with it now!
I don’t quite know where to start! Those bags, the edible notes, that chocolate, the cups!! Plus, the tart looks absolutely moreish
HI Vicki! Thanks for the tip! You are so sweet to think of me
oooooh this looks so yummy. I tend to stockpile tinned tuna!! Always handy for tuna pasta
& I NEED to do more chocolate research – can;t go past dark lindt or dark kook black!
Heidi xo
If chocolate was a religion I imagine it being the happiest of them all!!
I once carried a wooden train set for my nephew in my backpack – each carriage was a letter to spell his name.
And my Mr Happy and Lil’ Miss Sunshine soft toys from same nephew travel all over the world with me. (I’m hoping that’s common for travellers…an oddity that goes everywhere.)
I could eat a bucket of caramelized onions!
Oh My. That tart looks delicious, we’ve recently received a fruit n veg delivery by mistake and now have heaps of onions… I may have to copy you.
My hubby is a beer enthusiast (to say the least – craigbeaton.com/category/brewing/ ) – did you buy those beers in Sydney? I don’t think we’ve tried the Billy Ray looks novel!
Oh, and I can’t keep piles of choccy in the cupboard, my hips don’t approve.
As always, love your work NQN.
Hi Pixelsnpieces! The beers were purchased at Leura Cellars in the Blue Mountains-they have a great range of craft beers
I bet your hubby would love it there!
Oooh, this tart is making my mouth water. I stockpile many, many things – so much so that a friend once opened my pantry & made a joke about my visit to the legume factory. I also have a well-stocked baking area but this week ran out of brown sugar. Oh, the shame of it.
Love travel trinkets – especially when they remind you of experiences in great places
Tart looks delish too!
I stock pile props and food like there is no tomorrow. I have so many vinegars, oils, sauces etc that I have to make rows in the pantry so I can find the “exact” one I need. LOL I love the look of this tart, YUM! Simple and delicious, so good for this time of year
Wow such delicious things in your kitchen Lorraine – and I love your new props!! I think trawling the aisles of overseas supermarkets is definitely one of my guilty pleasures – I just need to work out the best way of bringing all my finds home. And thank you for the delicious recipe – I also seem to end up with a stockpile (of sometimes sprouting) onions – what a lovely way to use them all up!
On a very practical note: I stockpile shelf items when I find a great bargain – I hope all readers have discovered the wonderful online grocery sites – the prices are incredible, and, in Australia at least, the service/transport fantastic!! As far as wartime restrictions went, I was there in a number of countries throughout, where mothesr wondered regularly from where to get even one bite or two of food > their children. As most of us also know there was hardly any heart disease, diabetes or other affluency diseases which kill most of us today! Sorry about the sober note – and DO hope Oz readers enjoyed the ‘food porn’ night last night: personally I thought it fantastic
!
Lovely tart photo TRUE!
Friends affectionately say (God forbid) there was a nuclear war, you would WANT to be at our house (re stockpiled goods)too! lol
Because its a rarity and special TRUE!
Fazer chocolates take my fancy too!
I make something similar with soft creamed blue cheese under the onions, for something a bit more gutsy, flavours wise. My fav choc is white, and I seem to always have 2 more tins of tomatoes than I need in the pantry, which has been likened to a mini woolworths. Seeing as I live about 50ks from a small grocer and 150ks from a larger chain store, I may be forgiven?
I haven’t done an In My Kitchen post for a long time because I just have the most boring and ordinary range of things. There is no way I could compete with this! I love those old-fashioned raspeberry lollies – I used to love them. I’m assuming these have aniseed in them? My favourite. I would love to try that special chocolate. And what lovely glasses. And no, I’ve never had any of those beers xx
I think i’m going to have to make that tart asap…my mouth started watering!
MMmmm
I stockpile a few things…things that i can make easy dinners out of..bottles of pasata..too long in an italian family taught me that…every spice known to man so when I want to make a curry they are all there and I’m never out of any of them
And Frozen dumplings for a quick entree or lunch with salad
Hi Lorraine,
You mentioned “Chans Dumplings” from Melbourne but I cant seem to find then through Google. They look interesting and I would like to try. Can you help please?
Cheers,
Ross
I have already commented earlier, but just reading the comments from others is cracking me up, all those fellow stockpilers out there. I am not alone! Just wish there was a like button we could use under comments to show others how much we love their comments!
I ran out of eggs AND sugar the other day.
A tragedy.
That tart looks amazing. But anything with caramelised anything is my favourite.
hehehe, I’ve been stock piling onions too. They kept coming and coming in my vege box, and I couldn’t keep up, so I’ve made several batches of caramelised onions and also the ever people-friendly tart. You’re right, dead easy and always a crowd pleaser.
I do like having caramelise onions in the fridge as they can jazz any average meal… especially on grilled cheese!
omg i stock pile onions too! we LOVE onions and i truly believe you can never have too much. Every week when we shop, i dont even think about how much onions we have at home, i ALWAYS buy more and inevitably, we use it up! Great recipe, bookmarked
Gorgeous tart! I probably stockpile garlic and onion too, cos they can be terribly expensive for weeks and then really cheap when they have a weekend promotion. LOL!
What an incredible topping. I love the idea of slathering cream cheese. Your props are so pretty, Lorraine. Especially the cups.
That is one seriously amazing-looking tart! I dare not show this post of yours to my sister; she’d cry buckets and beg me to bake one for her. :p
I usually stockpile treats that are seriously rare in my neck of the woods: Horlicks in single-serve packets, dark-chocolate covered almonds in bulk, vanilla beans, and dark chocolate bars with chili-almond crispies. More recently, all-butter Scots shortbread and milk-choc-covered Turkish delight have been added to that list!
love the tart – I have a few simple puff pastry tarts that I love with caramelised onions – must add this to the repertoire
the edible pen sounds like lots of fun – would be amusing to take it out and start eating the end of your pen as you wrote a note! I wouldn’t fancy carrying glasses in my bag – I would be so likely to break them. And are those lollies the ones that used to have an aniseed jelly centre – your picture brought back some vague memories
This looks fantastically easy, I must try it! Cheers
I am so glad the heart notes were something new for you! I always troll the baking aisle when we travel
You stockpile? Surely not, Lorraine.
Lovely peeking into your kitchen, thanks for sharing! Agree that the Chuao story should be made into a movie – it’s a great one. And all I can say about the tattoo is – with all that details, it would have to hurt. You didn’t tell us where it would go? 
PS. Lovely onion tart! x
I’m not keen on tattoos myself either (and I’m trying to to talk my bf out of getting sleeve ones!) but I agree with you, if I was to get a tatt I’d get something beautiful like that pic.
Or a little caterpillar.
Or that delicious onion and cheese tart. Yum!
I just love your pantry ‘stash’ Lorraine, especially the Amedei Chuao Chocolate, mmmm! I tend to stockpile when general items are on special but lately I’ve managed to accumulate cupcake wrappers in all shapes and sizes, I simply can’t resist them. Plus all the cute sugary decorations and cachous pearls! Even though youngest daughter and I are frantic bakers , I’m sure it will take at least 12 months to use them all, lol!
Love the look of the tart, great to serve up as a Summer lunch with a mixed leaf salad.
Oh I love caramelised onion tarts. Definitely trying this one.
Love your purchases too, especially the rice paper cupcake decorations.
I once carried a stone mortar & pestle on the plane all the way back from Thailand – sometimes you just gotta do it
Oh so this is the caramelised onion tart you mentioned! funny how the both of us happened to have a whole load of onions and made an onion tart in the same period. I think yours look wonderful. i bet it taste delicious on puff pastry!
My favourite chocolate is amedei and valrhona..beautiful but expensive! I love all the stuff you bought on your travels. I like to look for kitchen/cooking stuff when I’m travelling too!!
OHH my! A simple pleasure —> Caramelized onions is! And on that tart with cream cheese it’s heaven. Some great finds here!
What a delectable, tasty & appetizing creation! Great to enjoy with a glass of a good red winze wine!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
That onion tart looks so good;I prefer savory to sweet tarts.But onions make me dry!!And those cups are really cute!
Good call on those glasses, they are adorable! I once carried a wok from HK back to Sydney!
I stockpile EVERYTHING. I live so far out that I always try and buy as much as I think I can store/use so I don’t have to go into the city again! I’m kind of a hermit…
Anyway, my favorite chocolate is anything made in Germany…
I am going to make your tart this weekend. I have friends coming over and I have all of those ingredients left over from a party I catered last week!
How did you know? You’re amazing!!!
xxoo,
RMW
What a gorgeous tart!
This tart is magnificent! I love how the border puffed up!
I am looking forward to trying this tart. It looks like just the sort of thing that would be great as a Sunday meal with a salad.
The one thing I tend to stockpile is canned pumpkin. I usually buy it this time of year becasue it is on sale, and then use it throughout the year.
As for chocolate, I love it to be dark. Although, I don’t think I have ever turned away a piece of chocolate offered to me
Great recipe, I need an interesting vegetarian dish soon so this might just be it, plus the sage in my garden is going bananas at the moment.
I seem to stock pile vinegar and other condiments like relishes and pickles, mostly because I make them and lots of other people give me some of their home made stuff too. Mind you I love them all and I have discovered some really fabulous varieties – rhubarb relish is my current favourite and mandarin jam is also something of a revelation.
As for the chocolate, I don’t think I’ve found my favourite yet. Firstly a tight budget means the kind I’d really like to buy is off limits for now and also I find it difficult to buy anything that isn’t fair trade – I can’t stand the thought of those wee little children slaving away so I can indulge in a little after dinner treat. I buy the oxfam stuff at the moment – it’s good but not great.
I like to collect baking cups, for cupcakes, I have tons on different colors and designs.
I found here a local fabric of chocolate, made with organic cacao that have the most splendid chocolate ever, it’s from ChocoMuseo, and they also have the cacao seeds peel that we can use to make tea…!!!
I think I overbuy because my mother did. She was a kitchen hoarder and I suppose that was from the depression times. I could feed the neighbourhood at a moment’s notice.
Please can I live in your kitchen with that chocolate?
That tart would make my tongue very happy indeed.
Mmm love this combination! Caramelised onions go sooo good with creamy cheeses, I especially love it with goats cheese
I love spending ages getting lost in shops finding fun stuff too 
It’s so great to have simple and fantastic go to recipes. I’m a food stock piler as well
yummy! i love caramelized onions–great tart!
Love the look of the tart but I hate onions! And I’m a foodie – yes I know it’s wierd but it’s the only food I hate. A dilemma that may be solved with caramelised leeks hmmm…
I tend to stockpile canned tomatoes, baking ingredients and a cupboard full of empty glass jars (never know when they might come in handy haha)
Lorraine, you made this 15 years ago when you just 10 years old?
I love onions as they are a staple of Italian food, but I can’t eat them raw. Caramelized yes all the way.
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