Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart, Autumn pear salad

Searching for a Gujarati recipe that my ex-roomie once made for me, I came across one beautiful cookery blog, Saffron Hut that led me to yet another gourmand, Beyond Salmon. Simply gorgeous food presentation and interesting write-ups. I was just captivated by the simplicity of the Tomato Onion tart, so much so, that I had to try it and guess what? Served alongside a pear-pecan salad, it was a big hit! Of course I made slight alterations, but if you like, here's the original recipe. We loved gruyere cheese I'm sure it'll sneak its way into another recipe sometime!


Caramelized onion and cherry tomato tart

1 frozen pie crust (I used Marie Callander's 9 inch)
1.5 lbs yellow onions
1.5 cups of grated gruyere cheese
2 cups cherry tomatoes chopped into halves
1tbsp butter
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Method:

Heat butter and oil in saucepan and add sliced onions. Cook on low-medium heat stirring occasionally till the onions seem light golden brown (~ 45 mins). At this point, preheat oven to 475 F. To the saucepan with onions, add balsamic vinegar, continue cooking till onions turn nutty brown (~10 minutes) and then keep aside.
Poke holes into the pie crust with a fork -- curb that aggression and keep it sporadic. This step is important otherwise the crust will puff up in the middle and wont contain its shape. Place the pie crust in the oven for 10 minutes or till light brown. Then remove from the oven and add the caramelized onions, grated cheese and arrange halved tomatoes in concentric circles around the tart. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 325 F and place again in the oven for 10 minutes. Now move the tart to the highest rack in the oven and bake till the tomatoes get more or less evenly wrinkly. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.


Autumn Pear Candied Pecan Salad (Not shown in picture)

1 bag Mixed greens
1 Pear (sliced thin lengthwise)
1/2 cup candied pecans (readily available in stores)
1/2 small yellow onion (chopped fine)
2 handfuls feta cheese (crumbled)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
5-6 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp Italian dressing

Method: Combine all ingredients except dressing. Pour on dressing a couple of minutes before serving.