These simple yet impressive tarts are a perfect hors d'oeuvre for your Spring and Easter buffet and they pair beautifully with a green salad as a light lunch or vegetarian dinner.

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large red onions, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup fig or plum jam
• 1 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups mixed mushrooms (criminis, shitakes and enoki, etc.)
• 1 package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine two tablespoons of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onions caramelize and turn golden.

Add the plum jam to the onions and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool. Mix the crumbled Stilton into the onions.

In a separate sauté pan, heat the remaining olive oil and butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until all of the moisture has evaporated from the pan and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper and remove the mushrooms from the heat.

Cut 4 circles from each puff pastry sheet using a large biscuit or cookie cutter. Place the pastry discs on a silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and prick each circle with a fork in a few places. Spread two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture onto the bottom of each disc, leaving about 1/2-inch rim of the pastry uncovered.

Spread equal amounts of the onion mixture over the mushrooms. Bake the tarts about 15 minutes, till the uncovered pastry rim has risen to form a pastry cup, the pastry is golden brown and the Stilton is bubbling.

Makes 8 Mini Tarts