Beef, Goat's Cheese and Onion Tarts

Preheat oven to 180 °C.

Caramelise your onions first. In a frying-pan with a tiny splash of oil, stir onions together with salt for around 30 minutes, over a gentle heat. The onions will soften and change colour. Never turn up the heat as you’ll burn them. Add sugar and vinegar and stir gently as the onions finish their caramelisation. They’re perfect when they are dark brown and glossy. Set aside.

In a separate pan heat a splash of oil and gently fry garlic until fragrant, then add beef mince. Brown beef and then add herbs, stirring through thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat. Whip cheese and chives together into a paste.

Grease a muffin tray. Cut pastry cases and place into your muffin tray. Spoon a little cheese mixture into each pastry case. Sprinkle meat mixture over cheese and then top with a generous dollop of caramelized onions.

Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the pastry is golden around the edges.

Serve on their own, or with a green side salad and tomato sauce or fresh chutney.

^{Copyright Notice
An extract from Minced with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group NZ. Copyright © Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander, 2010. RRP $35.00. Available at all good booksellers nationwide.}