Mini Cheesy French Onion Pies

Filling

1. Heat a large non-skillet pan over medium-high heat and add the garlic and butter, and let the butter melt.
2. When the butter has melted and is hot, add the onions and about ¼ tsp of salt.
3. Cook the onions until they have softened - about 10 to 15 minutes. Add thyme and bay leaves (and crushed chili if using).
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onions further until it has completely caramelized - another 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the heat of your stove. Make sure you stir the onions frequently to prevent them from burning. Do not rush this step, as the onions need to caramelize slowly without burning.
5. When the onions have caramelized and are golden brown in color, sprinkle the flour on top and reduce the heat to medium and mix the flour in with the onions. Cook for a few minutes, until the raw flour has been cooked out.
6. Add the red wine and stock, and cook this mix until it’s reduced completely and thickened. Place the mix in a bowl and let the onion mix cool down to room temperature.
7. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and mix in the shredded cheese.
8. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (or at least until it's only a little warm).

Pastries

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Sprinkle some flour on your worktop and lay down the sheet of puff pastry on it. Roughly roll it out into a 12 x 12 inch puff pastry square. Cut this into 9 smaller squares.
3. Place some filling in the middle of each square (don’t overfill). Apply a thin layer of water along two of the edges and fold over to form a triangle with the filling inside. First press down the edges to seal, then use a fork to crimp the edges. It's important that you seal the edges before you crimp them, to make sure the filling is completely sealed in.
4. Repeat with the rest of the pastry squares. Place the pastry triangles on the prepared baking tray with 1 inch of space between each.
5. Whisk the egg well in a small bowl. This will be used as the egg wash.
6. Brush the tops with some egg wash and bake in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown. Some cheese MIGHT leak out if any of the pastries were over-filled and not sealed completely.
7. Repeat with the other pastry sheet (there might be some leftover filling).
8. Serve the pastries while they are warm.
9. Refrigerated pastries can be reheated in a 300°F oven - just place the pastries on a tray, cover with foil and place in the oven for a few minutes.