Caramelised beetroot and goats cheese tarts

Last week I went on a special tour of the Southside Farmers Market in celebration of their 10^th birthday that was celebrated today. I met some of the stallholders, sampled some of the local produce and took home some fresh ingredients to whip up a delicious recipe to share with you.

Beetroot and goats cheese work perfectly together especially when it’s served on a crunchy, buttery piece of pastry.

The great thing about these beautiful little tarts is that you can make them any size. Make them bigger and serve them with a green salad tossed in a simple vinaigrette or make them smaller and serve them as canapés for a special event. I used premade puff pastry because it saves so much time. I’ve made these delicious tarts for dinner, my bestie’s baby shower.

We recently used some of the beetroot relish on a gourmet steak sandwich that Mr Eat Canberra made for dinner. I’ll be making these tarts and the relish for many years and for many special events. They’re simple and absolutely delicious. You’ll find it hard to stop at one!

Caramelised beetroot and goats cheese tarts (makes 100+ smaller tarts or 10+ larger tarts)

What you need:

2 lrg fresh beetroots

2 medium red onions

1 tsp dry thyme

3 tblsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

Good quality goats cheese

200g butter

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped (optional)

Frozen puff pastry, partially thawed

1 egg

Bunch of chives, finely chopped

What now?

1. Thinly slice the onions and peel and grate the beetroots. This can get messy so use rubber gloves to save your hands from going purple! Place a medium saucepan on medium heat and melt the butter. Once melted add the onion, beetroot, thyme, sugar and salt.
2. Cover and cook over low heat stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Remove lid, add vinegar and continue cooking for a further 10-15 minutes until the onions and beetroot are soft and glossy and the liquid is sticky and thick. Season with pepper and cool for at least 15 minutes before using. You can also refrigerate the mixture and use for a few days after.
3. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Cut pastry to the size suitable for how you’re serving the tarts. You can cut them into bite-sized squares, cut one sheet of pastry into four squares for larger tarts or use a round small or large cutter. Place pastry on prepared tray. Combine egg and 2 teaspoons cold water in a bowl. Brush pastry with egg yolk mixture. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and puffed. If you need to toast the walnuts then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and toast for 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
4. Once cooked, gently press centre of each piece of pastry to make an indent. Top each pastry with beetroot mixture. Sprinkle with goat’s cheese, walnuts and chives. Transfer to plates or trays and season with salt and pepper. Serve on a nice tray if you’re serving them as canapés or with a nice side salad if you’re serving them for dinner.

I also purchased some organic greens at the Markets and made a cold green salad to go with the larger tarts when we had for dinner.

Cold green salad

2 cups baby spinach

Bunch of asparagus

Broccoli head cut into medium pieces

Lemon

1 tblsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Blanch asparagus and broccoli in a pot of boiling water until just cooked. This should only take a few minutes and the vegetables will still be a vibrant green. Remove them from the boiling water.
2. Place them in a bowl of cold water or straight into the freezer for 5-10 mins.
3. When they’re cold toss them in a bowl with the baby spinach.
4. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a small bowl and add the olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper and dress the greens. Serve with the tarts for a healthy, vegetarian dinner!

Find our more about the Southside Farmers Market.