Camembert tartles with pancetta and pine nuts

My obsession with French cheese started about 4 years ago, when I first moved to France, before that, I was never a fan of cheese, especially French cheese. Yes about 4 years ago, I would have never eaten a piece of camembert, brie, and especially Roquefort. I found that even the smell of those cheeses was so pungent and overwhelming. Little did I know that only a few months after I moved to Paris, those same cheeses would become my obsession. Can you imagine this?!

How did this obsession begin? Well, it started right after the first time I went to a fromagerie, I was so uncomfortable, standing there speechless, scanning my way through a mélange of French cheese, lost between hundreds of various types. I was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of creamy, velvety, and smelly goodness that is French cheese, and it was at this moment that I decided that my quest for cheese tasting should begin… and my love for French cheese was born!!

Ingredients (8 tartlets):
1 puff pastry
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 oz (60 g) pancetta, cut into strips
7 oz (200 g) camembert cheese, cubed
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
¾ cup heavy cream
pepper

Heat the olive oil in a pan and saute the onion until caramelized. Set aside.

In the same pan, brown the pancetta.

In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and cream then season with pepper. You don't need to salt, cause the pancetta is already salty.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease 8 small tartlet forms. Line each form with a layer of the puff pastry. Set aside.

Next, spoon a little of the onion and pancetta mixture into each pastry case, spread it out evenly. Cover with the slices of cheese, spreading them evenly. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Garnish with the pine nuts and bake in the centre of the oven until golden and puffed, approximately 25-30 minutes.

Tartelettes au camembert, pancetta et pignons de pin

Ingrédients (8 tartelettes):
1 pâte feuilletée
1 oignon, émincé
60 g de pancetta, coupé en lanières
200 g de camembert, coupé en gros cubes
2 càs de pignons de pin, grillés
1 càs d'huile d'olive
2 œufs
20 cl de crème épaisse
sel et poivre

Faites chauffer l'huile d'olive dans une poêle et faites revenir l'oignon jusqu'à caramélisation. Réservez.

Dans la même poêle, faites revenir la pancetta.

Dans un saladier, mélangez au fouet les œufs avec la crème. Poivrez. Pas besoin de saler à cause de la pancetta.

Préchauffez le fout à 180ºC. Beurrez 8 moules à tartelettes. Tapissez les moules avec 8 disques de pâte feuilletée.

Répartissez sur le fond de chaque tartelette les oignons et la pancetta. Repartissez dessus les dés de camembert. Versez dessus le mélange aux œufs. Parsemez de pignons de pin et laissez cuire 25-30 min au four.