Apple & Cheddar Upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions

Apple & Cheddar Upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions is a delightful appetizer made with crisp apples, sharp cheddar cheese, puff pastry, and caramelized rum onions. 

And just like that, my sixth Fresh Air Retreat is in the books. 

Hard to believe I’ve been co-hosting with the fabulous Liz of The Lemon Bowl for over half a decade. The chance to gather food bloggers from all over the country in a beautiful home to eat delicious food, chat about industry woes and connect is something that truly fills my cup. 

Our recent retreat adventure was located in a favorite city of mine, Austin, TX. With a little Texas “bigger and better” spirit, we embarked on a whirlwind experience over a couple of days. Part of that insightful and educational experience was brought to us by our incredible sponsors: Envy Apples, Raptive, Zwilling USA, Dave’s Killer Bread, and Flor de Caña.  Each of these companies provided a unique activation that led us to not only understand their true narrative, but again, the chance to connect. 

A few highlights from the retreat: 

Envy Apple Five Course Lunch: As someone that doesn’t do lunch on a daily basis, this five course meal featuring Envy apples created by Chef Trimell was mind blowing. We chatted about all things apples over sous vide apple amuse bouche, chicken with apple three ways, apple salad, salmon with an apple walnut risotto, apple filled with frozen apple ice cream and chocolate drizzle.

Zwilling Knife Demo + Fresh & Save Snacking Station: I’m a ZWILLING fan girl and to have the chance to expand my culinary knife skills from Chef Bernard was a true gift. Not only do I need to work on my chopping, but I also need to source a fish knife. Look how it can cut a tomato??

Also, worth mentioning is their newly released Fresh & Save collection. As someone with a newly built kitchen, I can’t tell you how excited I am to keep food fresh and save money doing it. I was gifted their Fresh & Save 7-piece starter set and it was great intro vacuum seal technology. It includes various container sizes for storing meals, from light lunches to home-cooked dishes. Additionally, it offers small and medium reusable vacuum bags for freezing leftovers and keeping ingredients fresh. Zwilling also offers a fantastic dry storage option called CUBE. It’s the perfect union of form and function. The minimal streamlined design of their CUBE container sets makes them ideal for stacking. Save space in the pantry, with containers that look as good as they work. 

Dave’s Killer Bread 90’s Dance Cardio + Breakfast: We are Dave’s Killer Bread enthusiasts in our household. For me, to be able to create a Rainbow themed breakfast while enjoying Chef Trimell’s bananas foster french toast using Dave’s Killer Bread was a dream. 

Don’t worry we balanced everything with a much needed 90’s dance cardio class where we truly crushed it. BTW….in case you ever need to refuel post dance class or while on the go, Dave’s Killer Bread just launched three new snack bars: Cocoa Brownie Blitz, Trail Mix Crumble, and Oat-rageous Honey Almond. Charlie’s personal favorite is the cocoa brownie blitz.

Flor de Caña Make Your Own Espresso Martini: we wrapped up the retreat with an incredible happy hour activation with Flor de Caña. Did you know that they are a family owned business that’s been operating for over 130 years? One of the many reasons I adore this company is their premium rums are approachable for any occasion. Plus, they don’t’ use any artificial ingredients or added sugars. Spoiler alert: I’m using their 12 year aged rum (which is the youngest of their collection) in today’s recipe! 

Like I mentioned above, coming back from the retreat, I was definitely inspired to create a recipe that drew from all the delicious food we consumed. I fell in LOVE with Envy apples. As someone that consumes an apple a day, Envy apples have a perfect balance of sweetness, and the best crisp, crunch when you bite into them. Besides enjoying as a snack they are brilliant when used in cooking which is amazing because they don’t turn yellow or brown when sliced. 

Let me introduce you to a new favorite holiday appetizer that uses Envy apples and Flor de Caña rum: Apple & Cheddar Upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions. 

An Apple & Cheddar upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions is a delicious appetizer or savory snack that combines the flavors of apples, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and rum. Here’s a breakdown of the key components:

• Apple & Cheddar: this dish features sliced apples and cheddar cheese. The combination of sweet and tart apples pairs well with the sharp and savory taste of cheddar cheese.
• Upside Down Tart: an upside-down tart is a type of pastry where the ingredients are arranged in a sheet pan or skillet with the bottom layer becoming the top layer when the dish is inverted and served. 
• Caramelized Rum Onions: caramelized onions are onions that have been slowly cooked until they become sweet and golden brown. In this recipe, rum is added to the caramelized onions, which adds a rich, complex flavor to the dish.

How to Make these Apple & Cheddar Upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions: 

This dish combines the sweet and savory flavors of apples and cheddar with the rich, complex taste of caramelized rum onions. Here’s how to get started: 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Next, in a large skillet preheated to medium-low, melt the butter. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and golden brown. 
3. Pour the Flor de Caña rum into the skillet and stir. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until the rum is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 3 to 4 sliced apples in a row slightly overlapping. You will end up with 9 equally sized rectangles on the baking sheet to create the tarts. Next, top the apple slices with shredded cheese and caramelized rum onions. 
5. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and cut them into 9 equally sized rectangles. Place a puff pastry rectangle on top of each apple mixture. Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Once baked, remove the tarts from the oven and carefully flip each one over using a spatula. Allow the tarts to cool slightly before serving. Best enjoyed warm! 

Variations of Apple & Cheddar Upside Down Tart with Caramelized Rum Onions: 

• Rosemary and Walnut: Infuse the caramelized onions with fresh rosemary. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of the apples for added texture and nuttiness.
• Blue Cheese and Apple: Replace the cheddar cheese with crumbled blue cheese for a more pungent and tangy flavor.
• Brie and Cranberry: Use Brie cheese instead of cheddar, and add a layer of cranberry sauce.
• Spicy Kick: Enhance the flavor by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the caramelized onions.

That’s a wrap on Fresh Air Retreat Austin! A huge thanks to our sponsors: Envy Apples, Zwilling USA, Dave’s Killer Bread, Raptive, and Flor de Caña.

To the incredible and fierce women bosses who made the journey, I’m forever grateful for the chance to listen to your inspiring stories and motivation to keep moving mountains: Cassy, Juli, Addison, Mary, Christina, Madeline, and Zainab.

Amanda (our in-house photographer) who captured all these beautiful photos, you are magical!  

To the dream team: Chef Trimell and Liz. I marvel at your talents and am very thankful to be on this retreat journey with you!

Until next time, Austin!