I’m having a moment.
Lately I can’t stop making puff pastry. It’s been one of those days where I made multiple puff pastry recipes back-to-back — flaky layers, golden edges, the whole thing. I kept going because it’s just that good.
These tarts were inspired by a simple roasted beet salad in my cookbook: roasted beets, goat cheese and greens. Eddie is obsessed with beets, and I’m on board too — especially when they’re roasted and paired with puff pastry. The combination of tender beets, tangy goat cheese and buttery pastry is irresistible.
(Sidebar: this is coming to you after I ate an enormous ice cream cone, so yes, my taste buds are very pleased.)
I spread some goat cheese on the pastry, layered roasted beet slices on top, seasoned with salt and pepper, crumbled more goat cheese over the beets, and finished everything with a generous drizzle of honey and a few basil leaves. The steps are simple — the longest part is roasting the beets — and these can easily be prepared ahead of time if you’re serving guests. They make a lovely summer appetizer and are an excellent way to introduce beets to people who think they don’t like them. Who can resist butter-soaked layers of flaky dough?
I decorated a few cutting boards with drips and crumbs — accidental food art that I almost want to frame. You can use red or golden beets; I love the visual contrast when both colors are combined. Golden beets also seem milder in flavor, but that might just be my imagination. Either way, the color variety is pretty and the flavor is balanced.
Make one large tart and slice it into smaller portions, or form individual tarts — either way, try not to eat the whole batch. They’re dangerously good.
Beet, Goat Cheese and Honey Tarts
4
appropriately, 2 obnoxiously
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 red beet
- 1 golden beet
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, beaten
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons honey
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Trim beet greens and scrub the beets. Toss them with olive oil, wrap tightly in foil, and roast for about 1 hour, or until tender when pierced. Let the beets cool until they can be handled, then rub off the skins — they should peel away easily.
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Slice the beets into 1/4-inch rounds using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Start with the golden beet to keep its color from bleeding into the red slices.
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Place the thawed puff pastry on a baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg wash. Spread 4 ounces of goat cheese evenly over the pastry, arrange the beet slices on top, season with salt and pepper, and crumble the remaining goat cheese over the beets. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Remove from the oven, drizzle with honey, and garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.
and that cute.