Perfect as a stunning entrée or a savoury addition to a morning tea, this roasted beetroot and shallot tarte tatin is sure to impress!
Serves: 6 as an entree
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 medium beetroot
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons demerara sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 french shallots, peeled and cut in half
- 1 sheet butter puff pastry, frozen
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C (fan forced oven).
- Wash the beetroot, cut their tops and tails, and place on a large piece of foil. Drizzle them with the olive oil and then add a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the foil up so that the beetroot is enclosed in the foil, place the foil on a baking tray and pop in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until the beets are just soft.
- Allow the beetroot to cool for 10 minutes before removing their skin and slicing them into 1.5cm thick slices. Place to the side.
- In a 19cm ovenproof frypan or skillet, heat the demerara sugar over a medium heat until it begins to melt, then add the butter and balsamic vinegar. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes or until it thickens a little.
- Increase the heat again to a medium heat, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until they become lovely and fragrant. Add the beetroot slices and gently stir them about with a wooden spoon until they are well covered in the sauce. Cook it all for a further 3 minutes or so until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup. Turn the heat off and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
- Take out the butter puff pastry sheet from the freezer and allow it to thaw while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Arrange the beetroot slices in a spiral manner, overlapping them slightly as you go. They are quite soft by now so it is important that you handle the slices gently so they don’t break apart. The shallots can act as fillers between the beetroot – they look so beautiful in this tart!
- Cut the pastry in a 24cm round and place it over the beetroot and shallots, tucking the edges of the pastry into the side of the pan. This forms the delicious edging to the tarte tatin so it’s completely normal for the pastry to be a little on the thick side of the pan compared to the section of pastry in the middle covering the beets. Prick the base of the pastry 5 times with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking and place the pan in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are gorgeously puffy and a golden brown colour.
- Remove from the oven and allow the tarte tatin to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto the serving plate. Allow it to set for at least 20 minutes before serving. This dish is beautiful with a little feta and mint or rocket leaves scattered over the top however if you would like the beautiful pattern on top of the tart to shine, it is best served plain with a green salad on the side.
Overview
The classic tarte tatin is normally associated as a sweet treat featuring a fruit that is in season at the time of baking…and don’t they always look beautiful! Roasted fruit tucked into buttery pastry…is there anything not to love?
When the good folk at CSR Sugar asked me to create a savoury recipe using their demerara sugar (which I use all the time I might add to include a little crunch to my cakes), I had a beautiful bunch of beetroot on my bench and thought I would roast and then caramelize the beetroot, include their classic partner the French shallot and see what happens when they are huddled together under some pastry.
Yep, the end result was beautiful, refined, elegant and absolutely delicious! Roasting the beetroot really develops its wonderful earthy flavor and then combining the demerara sugar with the butter and balsamic provides a beautiful caramelly base for the shallots to cook through. Put them together, covering them in that beautiful buttery pastry and boom! A new family favourite is born!
You must give this one a try, just don’t forget to comment below and tag me in your socials if you make it!
H xx
