ONION TARTLETS A LA MONICA

Steps:

• place the flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor.
• add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse just until the dough comes together.
• turn the dough out onto a floured counter and roll it to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
• use a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter or juice glass to punch out about 18 circles of dough.
• grease 2 regular 12 cup muffin tins.
• press each circle into 1 cup, gently pushing the dough part way up the side of each cup.
• (there will be some empty cups) chill the pastry in the muffin tins while you prepare the filling.
• heat the oil in a largenonstick skillet, add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are soft and you are no longer crying.
• about 10 minutes stir in the sugar and continue cooking until the onions start to burn at any time.
• season the carmelized inions with salt and pepper to taste and set them aside.
• preheat the oven to 400 degrees divide the onion,mixture among the pastry shells beat the eggs with the fork in a measuring cup.
• beat in the milk carefully pour a tablespoon or so into each pastry shell.
• bake until the edges of the pastry turn golden brown and the filling is set.
• ,about 20 minutes.
• unmold tartlets by running a sharp knife around the edge and turning them gently onto a kitchen towel.
• serve the tatlets warm with champagne or a fancy cocktail-- this is not beer food!
• makes 18 tartlets.