Beetroot, pumpkin and caramelised onion tarte tartin

Time for another meat free Monday recipe. I have never made a tarte tartin before, and instead of trying the normal sweet variety, I decided I wanted to make a beetroot and pumpkin one. I looked at a few different recipes, but couldn’t find what I wanted. So I made this one up as I went. I did cheat and used bought puff pastry. I’m not quite up to home made puff pastry, but I’m almost there. I made a great rough puff in class the other week (which I will post about next).

I was very happy with the end result flavour wise. The balsamic vinegar is a great match for the earthiness of the beetroot, and there is a nice savoury sweetness from the caramelised onions and roast butternut pumpkin. And of course the crisp puff pastry and ‘caramel’ (in this case reduced balsamic and brown sugar). Unfortunately I didn’t quite cook my pastry enough when I made this for the first time, however the next day when it was cooked for an extra ten minutes it was perfect, so I have adjusted this recipe to give the pastry that extra ten minutes.

Beetroot, pumpkin and caramelised onion tarte tartin

Serves 2-3 as a main, 4 (or more) as an entrée

I used a 24cm oven-safe frying pan

Ingredients

• 750g butternut pumpkin – peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
• 4 – 5 cooked baby beetroot – cut in halves or quarters (depending on size – if you are using a larger dish you will need more)
• 2 onions – peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 15g butter
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 sheet puff pastry (needs to be able to cover the top of the frying pan you can use)
• 1 egg – beaten (for egg wash)
• Goat’s cheese (optional)
• Salad leaves and balsamic glaze to serve

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200C fan forced (220C). Place the chopped pumpkin on a baking tray, toss in a little oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes until cooked and slightly softened.
2. Meanwhile, place the sliced onions in a frying pan with a little oil and a pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat until caramelised (about 20 – 30 minutes).
3. Once the onions and pumpkins are cooked, place a 24cm oven safe frying pan over a medium heat and add the butter, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Stir and cook for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mix started to bubble.
4. Remove from the heat and arrange the beetroot and pumpkin to cover the entire bottom of the pan (remember, this will be the top). Scatter the caramelised onions over top and then cover with the puff pastry, tucking it in down the inside of the pan.
5. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash and then place in the oven at 200C fan forced for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 180C fan forced (200C) for a further 20-30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden. Cooking time will depend on how thick your pastry is. Make sure you cook the pastry through, you don’t want a soggy bottom!
6. Remove from the oven and allow the tarte tatin to rest for 5 minutes before turning out onto the serving platter/plate of your choice. Scatter goat’s cheese over the top and serve with salad leaves.