The Food Yenta posted a link a while ago for a beet and goat cheese risotto that looked like something I had to try. The post was witty and well-written, and the finished product boasted a winning food combination. There was one problem, though: the dish looked like raw meat. The author described it as "jewel-toned" and although I agreed at first, the more I looked at it, the more it looked like blood. The Food Yenta's solution was to substitute red beets for yellow ones. Mine was to take my craving for beets and channel it into a dish that I already know I love: The Food Yenta's Beet and Goat Cheese Tart.
I already wrote a little bit about the tart back in my second post, aptly named The Food Yenta as a homage to my facebook friend who helped me get started on my better food kick. When you're done with this post, head on over to her blog at thefoodyenta.blogspot.com to gawk at her amazing pictures (she's a professional photographer in addition to being a foodie) and try out some of her incredibly simple recipes. You won't be disappointed.
The last time I tried this recipe, I decided that I didn't like goat cheese and wasn't going to use it. This was a poor decision. Not only was the cheese I chose too strong for the flavors of the dish, but the truth is that I'd never had goat cheese before and was just afraid to try it. I faced my fear over my birthday weekend at a local restaurant and discovered that goat cheese was a lot milder and yummier than I had initially thought. As today is the first time I've ever used goat cheese in anything and only the second time I'm eating it, I'm going to classify this as a ***NEW FOOD ALERT***
 |
| Goat Cheese = ***NEW FOOD ALERT*** |
This time around I'm going to document the entire process, from trying to roast beets to fighting with puff pastry dough. Because I'm taking time away from cooking to write about it, the cooking time is going to seem very long. The recipe should take about an hour to prepare and 45 minutes to bake, which is still pretty long but not unreasonable.
And now, a running commentary of the cooking process, complete with pictures and recipe modifications. Here we go!
7:14pm: Time to get started! I don't remember how to roast my beets, but I'm sure the internet will tell me.
7:17pm: The internet comes through again. Here's the website I used to help me roast my beets last time: http://localfoods.about.com/od/preparationtips/ss/How-To-Roast-Beets.htm . They took over an hour because I used 4 really big ones, but today I'm using 2 medium ones, so I'm going to start with a half hour and check on them from there.
 |
| Fresh beets :) |
7:45pm: Ok, I've got my beets in the oven, my puff pastry defrosting, and the recipe right in front of me, I'm good to go. Next up is making the balsamic honey onions.
7:57pm: I modified the recipe a little bit by using white balsamic vinaigrette, clover honey, and some garlic powder (I forgot to get garlic). I'm also using only one onion because last time there was enough for a whole week and I want to try to minimize leftovers.
 |
| Bubble bubble toil and trouble.... |
8:03pm: It was looking a little thin, so I added some more honey. The measurements are just guesstimates, feel free to alter them to your liking. The white balsamic smells a bit sharp right now, but the sweetness of the honey will mellow it as it reduces down.
8:19pm: Great tip for defrosting puff pastry fast: let it sit out next to the stove while the onions are cooking. Well, ok, it was an accident, but it got the job done. My puff pastry is from the freezer section and comes in pairs. Last time I completely forgot about putting it away, so my second pastry became a gooey mess instead of tart number 2 (as I had planned). I tried to roll it into a ball and start again, but then I found out that by rolling it up, I completely ruined the texture that makes puff pastry puff up. Whoops.
Here's what my pastry looked like defrosted and put in the pie mold. The edges are crimped with a fork so that they stay down, not necessarily because it looks cool (although it totally does).
8:22pm: Onion update: They're mostly translucent and starting to smell sweet. Now I just have to wait for the liquid to reduce.
8:26pm: Beets are roasted and resting. They look a little like shriveled coconuts.....
 |
| I've got a lovely bunch of beets, deedle dee dee |
8:28pm: Onions done. See how the onions have changed color and you can clearly see the bottom of the pan? That means they've absorbed the flavors. When you use regular balsamic, they end up a little darker caramel color. You can also tell they're done because they resist the spoon more.
 |
| Sweet and tangy |
8:43pm: Time to make the filling. I don't particularly like dill, so my first thought was to replace it with basil. My basil plant went limp, though, so I decided to substitute mint instead. I have no idea how the mint will go with the beets, but considering it mixed really well with the vinaigrette for my cucumber blueberry salad, I figured it couldn't hurt.
 |
| Yes, my mixing bowl has a spout. It's awesome. |
8:52pm: This is me sloughing off the beet skin. You can tell the skin's off because the beet has a slightly lighter and more purplish color. (Thanks to Brian for taking the picture!)
 |
| Yes it's hot pink, and yes it will get all over everything. |
 |
| Isn't that a beautiful color? |
9:13pm: All done and in the oven! Whew! Here are pictures of the tart getting set up. The Food Yenta said two beets, but I think one would have been enough. Since I had so much extra, I decided to do two layers of beets instead. I finished it off with goat cheese, parsley, and some torn mint for garnish (although not too much because I put a ton in there).
 |
| First layer of Beets |
 |
| Adding the onions |
 |
| A second beet layer, extra goat cheese, a handful of fresh herbs, and it's all ready! |
10:09pm: Out of the oven and looking great! We had a little photo session to make sure I got it's good side for my post. Brian's heading off to work in a few minutes, so we'll cut into this beauty then.
10:31pm: Wow, it is out of this world! The crust is light and flaky and the hidden layer of beets really ramps up the flavor. I didn't expressly taste the mint as a distinct flavor, but the tart had a refreshing after taste that I attribute to it. It's a lot smoother than last time too; the goat cheese has a very nice flavor. I realized after I finished that I easily could have made two tarts, and I think that's what I'll do next time. Although I think I'm going to do two layers again, because all those beets turned the tart hot pink, and you know I can't resist a pretty picture.
Speaking of, here it is, in all its glory:
Speaking of, here it is, in all its glory:
 |
| Smells as good as it looks! |
 |
| Extreme Close-up |
No comments:
Post a Comment