Food: Savory Tarts to Win Over a Sugar-Shy Holiday Crowd

CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

For the home cook, the holidays are all about baking. The pies! The cakes! The cookies!

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But why not give a thought to those guests without a sweet tooth? In terms of savory offerings, there’s more to life than cheese and crackers.

I’m one those salt-loving creatures. If I had to make the choice of sugar over salt, sugar would lose. I’d happily skip dessert in favor of one more saline treat.

So if you love to bake, consider going in a salty direction. Actually, the little savory tarts I’m recommending are no more difficult than making a batch of cookies. Caramelized onions and Gorgonzola on buttery pastry rounds, topped with walnuts and sprinkled with rosemary — what’s not to love?

It’s a combination sometimes found on a modern pizza, and in a way these are a kind of fancy mini pizza. Instead of being bite-size, they are two or three bites; they also are one-hand snacks. Why do people serve fork-food at cocktail parties anyway?

If you’re organized, it’s a fairly simple project. Even if you’re not, you can easily pull this off. Make the dough a day ahead, so it’s waiting for you in the fridge. Time saved. Or make it a week ahead and pop it into the freezer. Or make the dough and roll it out, cut the little rounds and freeze those so they’re ready to top and bake. If you want to do it all in one go, that’s fine, too.

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You’ll want to use this simple buttery pastry dough for other baking projects, too (sweet ones included — apple galette, for instance). The pebble-size chunks of butter give it incredible flakiness.

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As for the onions, that too can be made a day or two in advance. Then it’s a quick matter of putting the topping on the tarts and giving them 10 minutes in a hot oven. The tarts reheat beautifully, too. So you can make them in the morning and serve them in the evening.

CreditKarsten Moran for The New York Times

If Gorgonzola is not your cup of tea, use another flavorful cheese, like Fontina, or try prosciutto and mozzarella instead. The possibilities are unlimited.

As for beverages, anything goes, and goes well: Champagne, white, red or sherry. There is no doubt a nifty cocktail that’s the perfect match, but I’ll leave that to the mixologists.

Now, go forth and bake something salty. Though if you’d like a cookie with your coffee before you begin, feel free.

New York Times