Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Crostata

So as most of you know I love food. For me cooking is an escape from my world of chaos. It's where I block out the yelling and screaming that I hear throughout the day ( I am the mother of 2 small children after all) and enter a world full of exotic ingredients and enticing aromas. Let me tell you, most days are pretty chaotic in the house. Even as I've trying to type these few sentences, I've been pulled away from my computer for one catastrophe or another. So by week's end I'm usually exhausted, ready for a nice bottle of wine and a night away from the world. I try Sunday through Thursday to make meals that the whole family will enjoy so hubby, kids and I can all sit down and have dinner together but by Friday night I'm ready to have a little bit fancier meal made just for hubby and me. The weekends are usually when my creative juices start flowing and I try out a new recipe and this Friday was no different. I'm not quite sure how the idea of a savory crostata crawled into my brain but sitting on my sofa watching a little "Must See TV" on Thursday, the image just popped into my mind. So I pulled out my trusty computer and starting scouring the internet to get an idea. I stumbled upon something I thought sounded delicious and fairly easy. Caramelized onion & goat cheese crostata and a tossed salad was the perfect light dinner to go with a Friday night date with hubby.

Caramelized Onion & Goat Cheese Crostata
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cold butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice water
1 package of Isle de France goat cheese at room temperature
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
cherry or grape tomatoes (about a cup)
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
shredded Parmesan Cheese
salt & pepper

To make crostata dough:
In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar and salt together. Add butter and pulse into mixture is until mixture resembles small pearls. Add the ice water slowly and form the mixture into a ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough out to 1/8" thickness then place on baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper and place back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.

While is chilling (for 2nd time), preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saute pan over medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the onions. Add a little sugar, salt and pepper and let onions cook until they become soft and golden brown. Do not let onions burn This will take about 10-15 minutes. While onions are cooking, add a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, some olive oil and the tomatoes to another saute pan and cook down the tomatoes until they begin to burst.

Take the dough out of the fridge and spread the goat cheese over dough leaving about a 1" perimeter. Top goat cheese with the onions, tomatoes and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Fold edges of the dough over forming a crust around the crostata. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with a nice salad and enjoy.