Oh So Good! Golden Beet Tart w/ Feta & Walnuts

Hello.

It's Tuesday, time for a tart.

Don't you love cooking with what's in season?

I have a load of beets in the MCG and need to use them up weekly.

Since I have made a tart with almost every ingredient by now, and I have pickled anything I can get my hands on, it was time to put the earthy orbs into a pastry shell and see what would happen.

End result:

This ranks up there with the best of the beet recipes (as well as Tart Queen recipes) that I have tried.

I loved this tart.

I found this recipe on Alexandra Cooks, the original being from Boston chef Gordon Hamersley, and I was obsessed.

Here are the changes/additions that I made to the recipe:

Since yellow golden beets were in the plot this week, I used them, along with 1 small baby red one.
Also, I increased the amount of beets from 2 to 4. The more beets, the merrier.

I did not have goat cheese, but always have feta, so used that instead (good choice).

I decreased the walnuts from 1 cup to half a cup.

Instead of making my own crust (lazy bones), I rolled out a sheet of defrosted puff pastry and fitted into a deep dish tart pan with removable bottom.

I omitted the white wine from the recipe, no need for it.

I incorporated the walnuts in with the beets and onions, instead of sprinkling them on later, and instead of parsley, I used fresh thyme.

So now, you see, I have altered the recipe just slightly, but stick with me.

If you roast your beets the night before, then half the work is done.

This has the fabulous factor.

Golden Beet Tart w/ Feta & Walnuts: (loosely adapted from Gordon Hamersley)

4 small-medium size beets, any color or mixed, scrubbed and leaves discarded (save them for another recipe!)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
butter & olive oil
1/2 cup of walnuts
1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt & pepper
3 large eggs
3/4 cup of heavy cream (I used half and half, you can also use milk if you are afraid of fat)
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese (or goat cheese)
1 tbsp of walnut oil for the top (optional)

Start out by roasting the beets.

Lay the beets in a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle w/ olive oil and kosher salt.
Roast the beets in a 400F oven for 1 hour.

When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and cut into cubes.

While the beets are roasting, cook the onion in a tablespoon of butter w/ a tbsp of olive oil.
Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle w/ kosher salt & pepper.
Don't let the onions brown, you want them golden. Low and slow.

Add the diced beets, cooked onions and walnuts to a large bowl and mix together.
Season w/ more salt & pepper and some fresh thyme leaves.

Roll out a sheet of defrosted puff pastry (you can also a ready made pie shell), and fit into a 9" fluted deep dish tart pan with a removable bottom.

Add the beet onion walnut mixture to the bottom of the pie shell and spread out.

Make your custard:
Whisk the 3 eggs w/ the cream and add in the feta or goat cheese.

Pour over the beets mixture and bake in a 375F oven for 40 minutes.

After the first 20 minutes of baking, drizzle some walnut oil (this really makes it even better) over the tart and put back in the oven for the remaining 20 minutes.

Let cool in the tart pan before removing the sides.

Serve warm, cold or at room temperature.

Makes a delicious lunch on the patio with a green salad.

Enjoy.

EXCELLENT at room temperature or cold.