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We call them beets, but in most of the world they are known as beetroots. Mothers dread beet juice which too easily stains in spreading red blobs that are impossible to remove. Beets have wide, but often odd, use around the world. In Australia, if you order a “burger with a lot” you get a hamburger complete with cheese, pineapple, a fried egg, and beets. I can only imagine.

At the other end of the beet sophistication spectrum is this Herbed Ricotta and Beet Tart. Suzi has it on the spring and summer menu for her clients at Cooking by the Book. Teams come here to have an hour of fun in our kitchen, preparing a two or three course meal together. They usually come in evening, so it’s at the end of the work day. Suzi has to pick recipes that are different, fun, and able to be prepared in an hour or less.

This tart just fits the bill perfectly. Pastry crust is a comfort food. Ricotta is one, too, it seems for many of us. And then there are the roasted beets. Soft and sweet, they add color and substance to this tart. It’s a wonderful first course for any meal.

Or, if you slice those servings a tad bigger, and offer this with a bigger salad as well, then you have a lovely brunch.

You'll think this tart must come from Paris because it has very high elegance factor. It's from Texas, actually. 


Herbed Ricotta and Beet Tart

Yield: serves 10

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 ounces chilled butter, diced
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

  • ½ cup ricotta, drained
  • ⅓ cup goat cheese
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced rosemary needles
  • Freshly grated zest of 2 lemons
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 medium red or yellow beets, roasted or boiled, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

Preparation:

PASTRY: in a bowl, combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour, using a fork or your fingers, until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour egg into well. Incorporate dry and wet ingredients to form a dough. Roll into a ball and flatten with your hand to a thick round disk. Cover with plastic and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F for 20 minutes.

FILLING: In a bowl mix together the ricotta, goat cheese and egg until well combined and softened. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, and zest, and season with salt and pepper.

ASSEMBLY: Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out to approximately 1/16-inch thickness. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Spread the cheese mixture evenly across the bottom and layer the beets on top.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake until pastry edge is golden and pulls away from the tart mold, about 25 minutes.

SERVE: Slice the tart into 10 equal pieces. First split the tart in half, then each half carefully into 5 equal slices.


Source: Texas on the Table by Terry Thompson-Anderson [University of Texas Press, 2014]

Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/30th second at ISO‑1600