We’re doing Vegetarian again and I’ve committed to using the last of our farmer’s market haul in the bottom of the fridge. We’ve been left with beetroot and leeks which thankfully go well together.
This is actually a really simple recipe, but I made it complicated for myself by making my own “rough puff pastry”. I didn’t have a choice. You see, here in Seattle no-one makes Pampas. I can’t count on the pack of frozen puff in my freezer, bought in bulk, 10 sheets at a time. The one’s we’ve found are often expensive and not quite the same as the stuff back home. When I ran into the concept of a ‘rough puff pastry’ a few months ago, I was intrigued. Could we indulge in tarte tatin once again? Would sausage rolls be on the menu regularly? Could we take a box of egg and bacon rolls out on a day trip? I dared not hope. Today I finally tried the recipe and while it’s a heart attack waiting to happen, I can safely say that tarte tatin is back on the menu, albeit occasionally. Wheeee!
Mr Firehouse declared this tart delicious and he’s the one who always says “and we can have those sausages in the freezer…” whenever I suggest a meat free meal.
- 4 small beetroots roasted
- 2-3 small leeks cleaned and sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- small knob of butter
- 1 tbsp. of oil
- 1 sheet of puff pastry or 1/2 quanity of rough puff pastry (I used this link)
To serve
Parsley Sauce
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 1 green onion (spring onion) finely sliced
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Walnuts and sour cream to dress the tart
A few tips and tricks
Cleaning the leeks
Leeks are notorious for getting grit in between all their millions of layers. The best trick I ever learned was to slice the leek down the middle, but not all the way, and then run water along the cut.The water gets between all the layers and gets rid of all the grit.
Roasting the beets
I roast the beetroot in the oven wrapped in foil, with the skin on. I cook them until I can place a knife through them. Once cooled, you can easily scrape the skin off with a serrated knife.
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 350 fahrenheit, 180 celsius. In an ovenproof frying pan (it needs to go in the oven to cook the pastry), at least 30cm wide add the butter and the oil. When the butter has melted add the leeks and garlic. As the leeks begin to soften add the thyme and balsamic vinegar and cook for a few minutes until the leeks have some colour on them and then turn the heat off.
Lay the roasted beetroots on the bed of leeks and arrange them nicely.
Now lay the puff pastry on top and tuck the edges underneath the leaks making a dome to encase all the yummy goodness.
If you want you can do an egg wash at this point, but as this will be the bottom of the tart, I don’t think there’s much point. Place the pan straight in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the pastry has risen, crisp and golden.
Leave the tart to cool. This is super important. Firstly the pan you used is super hot and therefore tricky to invert and secondly, letting it cool lets all the yummy goodness stick to the pastry and hold together better.
Flip the cooled tart onto a board and scatter the walnuts on top.
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I served my tart with the parsley sauce (recipe below) and a little dollop of sour cream.
For the parsley sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients and stir. So simple, but so good!
akkis kitchen 
Looks delicious
Thanks! I loved your pastry recipe. I made a full portion and froze the rest. Hoping to use it again soon!