This French-Inspired Tart Is Dropping Some Dope Beets
Why meatless on Mondays? Not only is eating less animal protein a healthy diet choice, but curbing your meat consumption can have a significant environmental impact too. In 2006, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that animal agriculture accounted for a full 19 percent of greenhouse gases—more than the transportation sector. Best of all, with recipes like these, going meatless can be a delicious weekly habit.
I just signed up for my summer CSA. Each week I will be able to pick up a basket of the freshest organic produce from a local farm. It is a fantastic way to eat fresh and support local small agriculture. The CSA model, in which people like me buy what is called a share in the season’s crops, has become popular across the country. It is cheaper than buying at the store, and fresher, and better. But once in a while, I open the basket to find something I’m not used to cooking.
I’m not the only CSA member this happens to. Most of us stick to what we know when we shop, so cooking an unfamiliar vegetable can be a challenge. It also is an opportunity to get creative.
One of the veggies that I see a lot of from my local farm is beets. Now, I love beets, but after I’ve shaved them into salads and stewed then into soups and roasted them, there are still plenty to go around.
I run a cooking school, based on a working farm, and many of my students are members of CSAs. They run into the same trouble. So this year, we’re running cooking classes based on only one ingredient that is at its seasonal peak. We’ve got asparagus and strawberries in the lineup, and surely, we’ll get to beets. When we do, we’ll cook an entire menu around them. One of the recipes we’ll feature is a beet tarte tatin. This recipe was found by my cooking partner, Shelley Wiseman, as she thumbed through one of our favorite vegetable cookbooks.
Baby Beet Tarte Tatin
(Adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg)
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
3/4 pound puff pastry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ pound baby beets, peeled and halved
1/4 pound pearl onions, peeled
¼ cup parsley or celery leaves
Crumbled feta (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to about ¼-inch thick, and cut out a dozen 2 1/2–inch rounds with a cookie-cutter. Put the rounds on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted. Stir in the cider vinegar, sugar, and some salt and pepper; then add the beets and onions (they will fill the pan snugly in one layer) and toss to coat. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, leaving the oven on.
Arrange the beets and onions in a dozen (1/2-cup) muffin tins. Lay the chilled puff pastry on top, tucking the edges inside the muffin cups. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Let the tarts cool slightly in the muffin tins, about 15 minutes, and then cover with a platter and invert onto the plate. Pour any juices left in the pan over the vegetables.
Scatter the parsley and cheese (if using) over the tarts and serve.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Meatless Monday Uproar: National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Not Amused
• Meatless Mondays: Salt-Roasted Beet Salad
• Are We All Going to Be Vegetarians by 2050?
Original article from TakePart
