Recipe by Lynfred Brand Ambassador, Laura Lorenz
Makes 45-60 mini tarts
Ingredients
3-4 boxes of mini phyllo tart shells (prepared according to package directions) *
6 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
4 oz goat cheese
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 small, sweet onion, diced
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
6-8 pitted dates, chopped
4-5 pieces thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled *
Fresh rosemary (for topping)
Chopped pecans (for topping)
Coarse sea salt (for topping) *
⅛ c honey
¼ tsp dried rosemary
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Directions
Using a hand mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese, goat cheese and heavy cream until smooth; set aside.
Next, melt the olive oil and butter in a pan over low-medium heat, add the onion and cook for 15-25 minutes or until nicely caramelized (stirring every few minutes so the onions do not burn). Then add the brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, dates, and crispy bacon, cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently (about 1-2 minutes); turn the heat off and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, add the honey, dried rosemary, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of salt; microwave on high for 15-20 seconds (just to loosen the honey up). Whisk the honey until all the seasoning are fully incorporated and set aside.
Assembly
Fill a piping bag or a DIY piping bag* with the cheese mixture and pipe desired amount into each prepared tart shell (I used roughly 1 tsp per shell). Then top the cheese with a little of the bacon and date mixture (about 1 tsp per shell), a few chopped pecan pieces, a sprig of rosemary, a light drizzle of the honey, and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Useful Tips
*Serving sizes depends on how much you fill each tart and how big the tart shells are
*The tart shells I used are found in the freezer section at the grocery store; my shells came with 15 per box
*I like to chop my bacon before I pan fry it, this way it is very uniform in size
*If you do not have sea salt, you can sub in kosher, do not skip the salt though
*Trick for a DIY piping bag-take a gallon Ziploc bag, place cheese inside, cut a bottom corner off with
scissors (this will be where the cheese mixture is squeezed out of). Make sure and leave the bag partially
unsealed at the top to let air escape
*These tarts can be made ahead of time and refrigerated; just wait to do the honey right before serving. I prefer to serve them room temperature or slightly chilled, not cold