French Onion & Mushroom Puff Pastry Tarts

I’ve noticed quite a few new faces around here over the past couple weeks since I posted my Breakfast Bun recipe! Yes, I am still eating them for breakfasts, and no, I haven’t gotten sick of them yet 😂 They really are that good! I’ve had a couple people mention that they’ve made them, if you have, please reach out and let me know what you thought!

Feel free to scroll down for this amazing party appetizer recipe, because I’m going to write a wee bit more before I get to that.

I’d like to introduce myself to those of you who don’t know me personally and have found me through various socials, or here on Substack itself!

My name is Kara Jones, as I’m sure you suspected. I am a mid-30s millennial with a passion for good food and nurturing people I love. I have had an interest in global cuisine since I was young, growing up as the daughter of a Pakistani-American woman. Even though my father was as American as apple pie, our home was often filled with the scent of curries and Mexican foods. I obtained a lot of my cooking knowledge at a young age, from my mother, whose opinion I still value to this day.

Fast forward to young adulthood, my first job was at an incredible spot in a small food court. It was a pizza/sandwich shop called Colorado Pizza Company. To this day, I dream about the sandwiches and pizzas we used to make at that spot. Eventually I moved into higher end restaurant work at a restaurant called Lucky Fins. It was there that I learned and really developed my interest in cooking. I was with Fins Concepts for several years and traveled around Colorado opening restaurants, bartending, and most importantly, learning.

During that time, my father was battling cancer and cancer eventually won. I was devastated and decided to take some of my inheritance and travel the world. I spent quite a bit of time in South East Asia exploring Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore before heading over to New Zealand and road tripping around both islands by myself. Not only was this such an important time in my life, but it developed me even further. I took cooking courses, ate at what would become Michelin starred restaurants, and tried a world of new things that I didn’t even know existed.

As time went on and my heart healed up, I did continue traveling, exploring Israel and India, taking cooking classes and developing my cooking style even more. It has been so difficult for me to “niche down” like all of these social media gurus say I need to do - mostly because I just love so many cuisines, just like I love the different parts of the world.

The richness of the Middle East, the colors of Asia, the fruits of Brazil, and the comfort of my home here in the United States…all of it means something to me, and I don’t know how to choose which one to focus on. I love it all.

So, for now, I will continue moving forward the only way I know how, loving the foods of this world and creating my own unique recipes drawing from the knowledge I gained from seeing the world.

I am not a formally trained chef. I even hesitate to use the term “chef” because I don’t know if I’ve actually earned it (I do anyway because, well, I’m building a brand). I have been working as a private chef for several years now, I make excellent food, I understand flavors, and I am constantly improving. I have experienced good food all over the world and I know what it takes to create memorable meals. Most importantly, I love that we have been blessed with this miracle of food and I intend to learn everything I can about it.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for hanging out with me for a bit and caring to hear my story. I am grateful for you and your time.

Now, without further ado,

French Onion & Mushroom Puff Pastry Tarts 🍄

Crispy, savory, a little sweet—and considerably fancier than the effort required.

Makes 6

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, cut into 6 rectangles

• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 10–12 oz mushrooms (I used black pearl + chestnut)

• 1 cup grated Gruyère

• 2 Tbsp butter

• Olive oil

• Fresh thyme

• 2 Tbsp dry sherry or white wine

• 1 tsp Worcestershire

• 1 egg, beaten

• Hot honey

• Flaky sea salt

Method:

🧅 Slowly caramelize onions in butter + olive oil for 30–40 min. Add thyme, sherry and Worcestershire; cook until jammy.

🍄 Sear mushrooms in a hot skillet until deeply golden.

🥐 On a parchment-lined sheet pan, layer mushrooms → onions → Gruyère, then cover each pile with puff pastry. Press down the edges and brush with egg wash.

🔥 Bake at 400°F for 20–25 min until deeply golden. Rest 2 minutes, then flip.

🍯 Finish with hot honey, fresh thyme + flaky sea salt.