I first stumbled upon beetroot tart Tatin at the amazing The Table restaurant. This fantastic spot, found on De Meye wine farm is one of my favourite places to eat in Cape Town. The entire concept is organic farm to table and although you’ve heard it all before, this time it truly is... The beautiful garden is just two years old and filled with amazing vegetables, fruits and berries. They use as much fresh produce from the garden as possible.
The restaurant quips that the garden is out of their control and they wouldn't have it any other way.
Sometimes things grow successfully and sometimes...well... not so much.
I know this to be true because I have undertaken a small garden on my balcony here at home and I must commend them for their successes because they don't always happen.
In fact; I find it more of a miracle when magic does eventually happen on my small balcony.
Having the sweet satisfaction of eating something home grown is simply the best!
It’s organic, healthy and a true labour of love. Now, who wouldn't want to put that energy into your body?
Each week they select their vegetables from the garden and source the rest from local farmers and then formulate the menu for the weekend.
The food is mouth watering and I have never tasted a beetroot tart Tatin like I did that day.
All the dishes have an element of farm comfort to them and are served on unique antique style platters.
You can sit under the trees and feast family style, which might I add is my favourite.
More is more and of course, De Meye wine is the perfect complement to the feast at hand!
Bookings are essential! Click here to book.
Ingredients:
8 medium sized beetroots, (I mixed it up and got candied beets.) Cooked and peeled.
1 large red onion
4 sprigs of lemon thyme (you can use normal thyme)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
sour cream to serve
salt and pepper
For the shortcrust pastry:
200g plain flour
125g chilled butter sliced into cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons cold water
OR you can use Puff Pastry store bought, same as The Table (Which I must confess is perfection.) Don't forget you will need an egg to egg wash the pastry!
Instructions:
In a large bowl mix the flour, salt, butter. Using your hands rub the flour and butter between your fingers until the dough is crumbly. Make a well in the center and add the egg and water. Mix well until the dough forms a soft ball. If the dough is too sticky then you can add flour if needed. Wrap the ball in cling wrap and put it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Remove the skin from the beetroots and slice them into 1cm thick discs.
In a large frying pan over a medium to high heat add the beets, red onion, butter, and sugar. Fry for 12 minutes until it starts to caramelize. Add the balsamic and thyme and fry for a further 2 minutes until the sauce becomes glossy and beautiful! Don't forget to season the beets!
Now to assemble your tart!
Grease a round cake tin. A 20cm size will do.
Layer the beetroots in the cake tin so the surface of the tin is entirely covered. You can layer them like fish scales. Make sure you do this nicely as it will be the top of your tart when inverted. Add the red onions and sauce.
Using a rolling pin roll out your dough until you have a disk big enough to cover the beets and tuck it in on the side, then prick it with a fork.
If you are using puff pastry, do the same and brush the pastry with a whisked egg. The tart will be inverted so make sure you tuck it in nicely!
Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven or until golden brown. Leave to cool for ten minutes before turning it out gently. Serve on a beautiful dish with a healthy dollop of sour cream!
-Melissa