This is old.....but I think I was waiting for photos. I made a ton of these when I was pregnant and Hazel is now 13 months.
Our beets are growing beautifully in the front yard. At the moment, this is my favorite way to cook them! The original recipe instructs you to roast the whole beets with salt, pepper, and olive oil. This was good, but we thought they could use a little more roasted flavor and thyme, so my modified version is below. I baked two tarts today, but they are headed directly for the freezer, so I will have to check back and see if the roasting was, in fact, an improvement. Also, since I am freezing these tarts, I did not add the walnuts. When we are ready to eat the tarts, I will toast the walnuts and sprinkle them on top.
Makes one 10-inch tart
Modified from Epicurious, April 2010, by Gordon Hamersley, Bistro Cooking at Home
For crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
For filling:
2 to 3 small beets, skin removed and cut into large pieces (~2 inches or so)
1 tablespoon olive oil
15-20 sprigs fresh thyme, plus an additional 1 Tablespoon chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dry white wine
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
Roast the beets:
Preheat oven to 350F. Place beets and sprigs of thyme on a baking pan. Drizzle them with the olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake until the beets are tender when pierced with a paring knife, about 1 hour. Increase the oven temp to 375F for the crust.
Make the crust:
In the food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter, pulsing it 8 to 10 times, being careful not to overheat and overmix the butter. Add just enough ice water for the dough to come together. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it gently. Press dough into the tart pan and place it in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Once the beets are out of the oven, increase the heat to 375F. Line the crust with aluminum foil, and then fill the foil with baking weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and continue to bake until the crust is well browned. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool a bit before assembling your tart. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.
Make the filling and assemble the tart:
When the beets have cooled, cut them into a medium dice (~1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces).
Heat the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and remaining thyme, season with a little salt, and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the onion is just tender, about 7 minutes. Add the white wine and cook for another minute, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Toss the beets and onion together and put them into the blind-baked tart shell.
Whisk together the eggs and cream, season well with salt and pepper, and carefully pour over the beets and onion, letting the cream seep evenly into the beets. Dot the goat cheese all over the top of the tart. Put the tart on a baking sheet and bake it for 50 minutes.
On a separate baking sheet, toast the walnuts until they are brown and fragrant, approximately 10 minutes. When the tart is completely cooked, sprinkle the walnuts on top.
