• By Emily Amelia Inglis
• Published 01/3/2012

Heart-warming recipes for Christmas are a must, but that shouldn’t stop at your main.

Here we look at creating a delicious and homely Goats Cheese Onion Tart and French Onion Soup to share with your guests on the big day and the weeks surrounding it.

Goat’s Cheese Onion Tart

Before we begin, let’s gather all our ingredients. You’ll need the following to create your delicious Goat’s Cheese Onion Tart.

• 3 large red onions (sliced)
• 2tbsp. olive oil
• Three thyme sprigs
• 6tbsp. onion Marmalade
• 1tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 small bought pastry cases
• 2 100g goat’s cheese
• Baby leaf salad (to serve)

To start, heat your oven to Gas Mark 6/200°C.

Whilst the oven heats up, fry the onion in the olive oil with half the thyme.

Cook gently for 15 minutes until softened, and then stir in the onion marmalade and red wine vinegar. Heat the mixture through for another 2 minutes.

Now divide the mixture between the pastry cases, topping with a slice of goat’s cheese and sprinkle the remaining thyme over the top. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until bubbling gently.

Serve alongside a baby leaf salad.

French Onion Soup

Whilst soup can be a fresh, lightweight option in the summer; the winter calls for a little more depth. This hearty meal including bread and cheese is ideal.

Before you start creating your French Onion Soup, collect the following ingredients:

• 50g butter
• 1kg onions (finely sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 large sprig fresh thyme (chopped)
• 2 beef/vegetable stock cubes
• 4 slices bread
• 75g mature Cheddar cheese (grated)

Begin by melting the butter in a large pan, adding the sliced onions and stirring with a wooden spoon until well coated.

Cover the pan, cooking on a low heat for approximately 20 minutes or until all the moisture has come out.

Now stir in the garlic and thyme and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the moisture has once again left – no need to cover the pan at this stage however.

Continue cooking until the onions brown and caramelize.

Whilst you wait, dissolve the stock cubes in a litre of boiling water and once the onions are ready, add to the pan, stirring then simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Use this time to toast your bread, cutting a circle from each slice. Sprinkle grated cheese over the toasted circles and grill until the cheese has melted and is golden.

Now it is time to serve; add the soup to the four bowls – preferably with a ladle to make sure everyone gets enough delicious onions, season to taste and top each bowl with a slice of toasted cheese.

Delicious!

About the Author: Emily Amelia Inglis is a fan of tasty recipes