Tomato-Goat Cheese Tarts

It is hot in Alabama—absolutely too hot for a heavy supper! Tonight I made these appetizer tarts from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics and served them with our favorite Apple-Blue Cheese Chopped Salad. Delicious! The tarts are super-easy but look fancy (the best kind of recipe). I'll definitely serve them at our next dinner party. If you have an abundance of summer tomatoes, plan to make this dish. You can use any fresh herbs you have on hand—the original recipe calls for thyme and basil, but I used parsley and basil. Enjoy!

Tomato-Goat Cheese Tarts
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt
1 onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Olive oil
1 sheet puff pastry (1/2 package), thawed
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Pepper
1 small log garlic-and-herb goat cheese

1. Place tomato slices on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt. Allow to stand for at least 1 hour to remove excess moisture.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil in a skillet for 15 minutes or until onions begin to soften and caramelize.
3. Cut puff pastry using a round cookie cutter. Place pastry circles on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and use excess dough to create a rim around each circle.
4. Divide caramelized onion mixture evenly among circles. Sprinkle evenly with basil and parsley. Top with tomato slices (I used 2 per tart). Sprinkle tomato with salt and pepper. Crumble goat cheese evenly over tomatoes. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired.
5. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until done.