Beet Tarts with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Last fall, I became obsessed with the adorable rose-shaped apple tarts that were going viral on social media. Theyre so easy to make and with a light dusting of icing sugar, they make even a novice baker pass for a seasoned pastry chef. For Valentines Day, I wanted to make some beet and goat cheese tarts and I opted to use the same technique for a savory take on those little apple roses. It makes for a unique tart that combines sweet and savory. Served with a green salad, its a simple yet elegant Valentines Day meal.

This past summer, my sweetheart went a little crazy on beets and planted several large beds of at least four different varieties. (Ive never eaten so many beet greens in my life!) Now that winter is here, its fun to turn these beets into everything from juice to big pots of borscht, and lately, these elfin tarts.

The tarts are filled with roasted beets, goat cheese, and caramelized onion. If you have access to different varieties of beets, by all means use all the colors - chioggia, golden, and red beets will make a vibrantly colorful tart! For the video, I ran out of golden beets so I went with all red, which is appropriate for Valentines Day, though quite not as impressive looking as the multicolored tart.

A few cooking notes If you make these tarts, do pay close attention to the recipe instructions below as some aspects of the recipe have changed since I made the video. In the video I used a whole wheat pie pastry which was nice and flaky but a little on the heavy side. Although I am generally all about whole grain flours, Ive found that these tarts benefit greatly from a very light, thinly rolled buttery puff pastry made with unbleached white flour. Cooking them in muffin tins also helps them hold their shape. Feel free to use store-bought puff pastry if youre short on time, but make sure its all-butter if you can find it. It was my sisters idea to use caramelized onions inside the tarts and she was bang on! It really adds a lovely sweetness that complements the goat cheese and beets. As a last note, be sure to leave a little extra time at the end to whip up a batch of balsamic reduction, it takes only 10 minutes and really completes these tarts, lending a lovely zing. (Im so obsessed with the stuff I always make extra to eat straight out of the pot with a spoon for dessert). I like to serve the tarts warm, with a generous drizzle of thick balsamic reduction, a quick sprinkle of zaatar spice, and a green salad on the side.

Happy Valentines Day!

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards for Best Video Webcast (On Location). In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine's Best Food Blog award in the video category.