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This lattice pastry with cheese and caramelized onions makes a lovely addition to any brunch or lunchtime table, and the individual slices work equally well as an appetizer. Created with the help of a lattice cutter, this pretty savory bake features flaky puff pastry, sharp cheddar cheese, and sweet rings of onion, caramelized “low and slow” on the stovetop.
Why Make This Lattice Pastry Recipe?
While the finished product might look complicated, this five-ingredient lattice pastry recipe begins with store-bought puff pastry, so it’s actually deceptively easy to prepare. The assembly requires just half an hour, and you’ll need even less time than that to bake. (Side note: Do allow plenty of time to caramelize the onions!) The combination of sweet onions, sharp cheddar cheese, and buttery, flaky pastry is so simple, yet so good.
This tart-like pastry with caramelized onions is both tasty and versatile—it works for brunch, lunch, or even a light dinner alongside a salad or bowl of soup. You can also serve it alone, or arrange the slices on a tray with other puff pastry snacks such as anchovy sticks or cheese twists.
To make this recipe, you’ll only need a handful of top-notch ingredients, plus some salt and pepper to season. It’s easy to change things up with different kinds of cheese (I’ve provided some suggestions below). You can vary your spices (sprinkle on some chili flakes, or add a bit of dried thyme) or even use homemade puff pastry if feeling particularly adventurous.
Finally, I love this lattice pastry with cheese and caramelized onions because it gives me the chance to use one of my favorite kitchen tools: the lattice cutter! Read on to learn where to buy one, and how to put it to good use.
Buying and Using a Lattice Cutter
I first tried a lattice cutter during my studies at Le Cordon Bleu London, where we used it prepare a jalousie aux mirabelle (mirabelle plum and almond cream puff pastry slice) and it’s been a staple part of my toolkit ever since.
If you don’t already own one, I highly recommend adding a lattice cutter to your bag of tricks—this nifty little tool takes any store-bought pastry recipe from average to outstanding, and adds an impressive finishing touch to your bakes. You can buy one on Amazon for less than $10.
When using a lattice cutter, you’ll want to press down much harder than you think you need to. This is important. Otherwise, you risk not cutting the whole way through the pastry. This in turn makes it difficult to pull the pastry apart, and can cause rips or breakage in the dough. If you haven’t used one before, I suggest doing a trial run with some pastry scraps, or making a test tart for your eyes only.
And if you do find that you haven’t cut all the way through the pastry, don’t worry. You can fix your mistake with a sharp paring knife—carefully check each cut to make sure you’ve gone all the way through before trying to pull the pastry apart
One last tip! When moving the lattice-cut pastry to the tray, take your time and lift carefully to prevent the lattice pattern from stretching or breaking.
Caramelizing the Onions
While the assembly and baking steps in this recipe are not particularly time-consuming, you’ll want to allow at least an hour to to caramelize the onions.
To do so, peel the onions and slice them into very thin rings. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onion rings, and cook over very low heat (“low and slow”), turning the onions periodically with a spatula to prevent them from burning or sticking to the pan. As they caramelize, you’ll notice that the onions will slowly turn from crisp and white to soft and deeply golden brown, with a sweet, fragrant aroma.
While some recipes recommend adding sugar to the pan to help the onions brown more quickly, this really isn’t necessary. The onions below were cooked in butter only, and took about an hour and ten minutes to fully caramelize:
Choosing Your Cheese
I made my lattice puff pastry with a sharp white cheddar, but feel free to substitute a different semi-hard cheese. Red Leicester, Monterey Jack, Mild Cheddar, Gouda, Comté, and Gruyere would all pair nicely with the caramelized onions. You can also mix and match several types of cheese.
I recommend buying a block of good-quality cheese and grating it on a box grater (for this particular bake, a microplane is not really necessary). You can use pre-shredded cheese, but I’d suggest avoiding it if at all possible. With just a handful of ingredients, a good, flavorful cheese makes all the difference in this recipe.
Caramelized Onion Puff Pastry Tips and Tricks
In addition to a lattice cutter, you’ll need a serrated knife to cut and serve the finished pastry. Cutting with a serrated knife (rather than a chef’s knife) allows you to slice cleanly through the pastry, as well as the layers of cheese and onion.
Puff pastry sheets come in many shapes and sizes, depending on the brand. I’ve started with 9 x 13-inch rectangle, but don’t stress if yours is slightly larger or smaller—this recipe does not require perfect precision! You will find it helpful to have a silicone rolling mat and a rolling pin on hand for preparing the puff pastry sheet, as well as a knife to trim the edges as necessary.
While the lattice cutter makes this tart particularly pretty, you can make this recipe without one. To do so, just place the second rectangle on top of the onions, then use a sharp knife to cut 5-6 vents in the top.
Lattice Pastry Make Ahead and Storage Suggestions
As I’ve mentioned above, the onions will require an hour or so to fully caramelize. If you want to work ahead, you can caramelize the onions up to 24 hours in advance, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the pastry.
In testing, I found that the leftover lattice pastry reheats especially well. To reheat, place the pastry on a parchment-lined tray and bake in a 350° F / 176° C oven for about 5-10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also wrap the leftovers in foil and freeze for up to three months.
Other puff pastry recipes you might enjoy:
Savory Pithivier
Leek and Walnut Hand Pies
Puff Pastry Twists
Anchovy Sticks
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Lattice Pastry with Cheese and Caramelized Onions
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 13-inch pastry (8-10 slices) 1x
Description
Created using a lattice cutter, this caramelized onion puff pastry tart makes a lovely addition to any brunch or lunch, and individual slices also work well as an appetizer. While the finished product might look complicated, this five-ingredient recipe begins with with store-bought puff pastry, so it’s deceptively simple to prepare. Just allow yourself plenty of time to caramelize the onions!
Ingredients
30 grams unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
650–700 grams onions, peeled and sliced into thin rings (3 large onions)
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
100 grams grated sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup, loosely packed)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan.
Add the sliced onions. Cook over low heat, tossing occasionally with a spatula, for 1 hour or until onions are soft, sweet, and golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C. Line a half-sheet rimmed tray with baking parchment.
Unroll puff pastry on a silicone rolling mat or lightly floured countertop. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry a few inches wider, or a sharp knife to trim away any excess. When finished, you should have a 9 x 13-inch rectangle. Arrange it on the mat with the longer side facing you.
Slice the rectangle in half horizontally to form two 4 1/2 x 13-inch rectangles.
Transfer one rectangle to the prepared tray.
Use a lattice cutter to cut the second rectangle.
With your fingertips, gently pull the cut pastry apart to reveal the open weave pattern.
Scatter the un-cut rectangle with the grated cheddar cheese, allowing a 3/4-inch border along the two longer sides.
Arrange the caramelized onions in a mound on top of the cheese, distributing them evenly along the length of the pastry. Season with salt and pepper.
With a pastry brush, brush the beaten egg around the border of the puff pastry.
Place the lattice-cut pastry over top of the cheese and onion mixture.
With your fingertips, pat down the pastry until it fits snugly around the cheese and onion mixture. Trim the edges of the pastry with a sharp knife.
With a fork, crimp the edges of the pastry to seal in the filling.
Brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg.
Bake in preheated oven, about 23-25 minutes, or until pastry is flaky and deeply golden brown.
With a serrated knife, slice the pastry into 1 1/2 – 2-inch wide slices. Serve warm.
Wrap leftover pastry in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, place pastry on a parchment-lined tray and bake in 350° F / 176° C oven for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through. Leftover lattice pastry can also be wrapped in foil and frozen for up to three months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Caramelising Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Stovetop + Oven