Tapas

I am a recovering perfectionist. I expect things to be just as I imagined and planned them. This obviously results in lots of disappointment and stress. Then I offered to plan and prepare an "apero riche" for my mother's birthday. I think I talked of nothing else for about a week before her birthday. I had lots of ideas I knew my mother would not be too fond of - my family is not as experimental as I am when it comes to eating. They like the familiarity of the things they always prepare for birthdays and other celebrations.
I came up with a few ideas that were not too new, not too strange, but not boring and old either.
Everything turned out great, the food was a success and we made enough for everyone. (and way too much of the lentil and couscous salad...)

I'm going to share with you the recipe for Goats Cheese and Onion Confit Crostini. They sort of had a slow start, people were not too sure about the cheese, about the amount of onions and so only a few were eaten at first. But after that, when every one who tried one wanted more, we had to go back to the kitchen to make more.
The combination of the tangy flavor of the goats cheese and the sweetness of the onions is delicious, and makes people come back for more.



Goats Cheese and Onion Confit Crostini
makes about 20 crostini


For the Onion Confit:

1/2kg onions
olive oil
~1dl good balsamic vinegar
~100g sugar
salt

1 roll goats cheese
1 baguette

For the Onion Confit:
Cut the onions in half and then in thin slices. Dry your tears. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar and the sugar and let it simmer for about an hour. Add salt to taste. Let it cool down. You can prepare the Onion Confit in advance and store it in the fridge.
To assemble the Crostini:
Heat the oven to about 180°C, slice the bread and the goats cheese. Place the goats cheese on the bread slices, put them on a baking tray and let it bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Our cheese did not melt, but that might depend on the brand. Take out of the oven and put a teaspoon (or more) of the Onion Confit on top. Serve warm.

Note: We used a rather cheap balsamic vinegar (what my parents had at home) which is more acidic and less sweet than good balsamic vinegar.