Beetroot Tarte Tatin

Place the beetroot in a pan of boiling water for about 40-50 minutes, until a knife will slide in fairly easily. Drain them, allow them to cool for a short while, and then slip of the skins with your fingers. Cut them in halves/quarters depending on their size.

Measure your pastry out – take the frying pan you are going to make the tart in, turn it upside-down on the pastry and cut around it to give yourself a neat circle.

Preheat your oven to 220 degrees C. In an oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat melt together the sugar and vinegar. When this is done, gently place all the beetroot into the pan. Let them cook for a little while as they absorb the vinegar, turning once or twice. Arrange them in the pan so that there is not a lot of space between them, cut-side up. Place the butter onto the beetroot. You can use a rolling pin to drape the pastry over the top of the pan, tucking it in at the edges. Alternatively, just cross your fingers and pick it up, laying it on by hand. Either way, as long as it’s on, we”re doing fine. Don”t worry too much about how it looks, as the pastry will be on the bottom anyway.

Let it cook for about 20 minutes until golden on top. Remove the pan from the oven and let the tart rest for a couple of minutes. Take a plate and place it over the pan; then, holding the plate, turn the whole thing upside-down, so you end up with the tart beetroot side up. Crumble over the goat’s cheese and serve with a green salad on the side.

© William Leigh.