What better way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon than in an orchard gathering apples. As a family, it has been our tradition every fall, to pick apples with our cousins and come back to the house and create dinner with our bounty.

Apple crisp is always a favorite, but sometimes it is fun to expand the menu a bit and try something new. Here are a couple apple recipes we have tried lately.

Savory Apple and Onion Tarts
Serve these little tarts for a light lunch with a green salad or cut in smaller bites as an appetizer

4 individual tarts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced (can substitute 1 cup chopped frozen onions)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastry
2 sweet tart apples such as Fuji, cored, peeled and very thinly sliced
4 ounces shredded Gruyere or Jarlesberg cheese
1 tablespoon each Dijon mustard and Mayonnaise, combined
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Bring a skillet to medium high and add the butter and onions and saute until golden, about 7-10 minutes, season with salt and pepper and set aside
3. Roll the sheet of puff pastry to about 13X10 and cut into 4 rectangles (5X61/2 each)
4. Place the puff pastries on a parchment line baking sheet
5. With a sharp knife, score a ½" wide border around each rectangle, trying not to cut all the way through
6. Spread the Dijon mixture inside the border of each tart
7. Divide and spread the onion mixture over the Dijon mixture
8. Arrange the apples in an overlapping pattern (½ of an apple for each tart)
9. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese
10. Sprinkle with rosemary
11. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and the tarts are golden brown.
12. Serve warm or room temperature