5 Ingredients or Fewer

Rustic Beet Tart and Wilted Greens

March  6, 2013
4
5 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

What could be more delicious than sweet beets wrapped in tangy goat cheese custard on top of buttery pastry? Yeah, I can't think of anything either. As rich as this sounds, it feeds four people as a light but satisfying supper for less than $10. —fatgirleating

Test Kitchen Notes

A flaky, buttery crust topped with creamy, tangy goat cheese custard and sweet, ruby red roasted beets make this rustic tart an inexpensive beauty fit to please a crowd. The slow roasted beets take time, but the custard and the tart itself are quick to assemble and after 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, you have a rich, yet surprisingly delicate, dish that can feed 4. While it makes a wonderful addition to your brunch table, it can also be a light but satisfying dinner, and if you're lucky enough to have any remainders, it's a joy chilled the next morning. —snowcitygirl

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 small (2 to 3 inch diameter) beets, any color, with the greens
  • 1/2 package of frozen puff pastry, or equivalent of homemade
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cups whole milk or cream
  • 3 to 5 ounces soft chevre style goat cheese, room temperature
  • Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
Directions
  1. Remove the greens from the beets, wash, and set aside.
  2. Scrub the beets. Most recipies have you roast and then peel your beets, but I peel mine first and then roast them. It's easier to handle them when they aren't slippery, and I lose less of their delicious flesh. But use your prefered method.
  3. Place each beet on a small square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in the foil. Bake at 400 degrees anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your beets. They're done when they are knife tender and can be pierced with the tip of a paring knife with ease.
  4. Once the beets are knife tender, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.
  5. While the beets cool, roll the puff pastry out until you have a rough 10-inch square. Transfer the sqare to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  6. Roll in the edges of the pastry about an inch on all 4 sides so that you have a delicious pastry wall. Use a little water to seal the edges. You want to make sure that the custard doesn't leak out when poured into the "shell".
  7. Combine the egg and the goat cheese with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Slowly add the milk or cream, stiring until you have a thick but pourable consistency. It should be no thinner than pancake batter.
  8. Slice the beets into rounds. You should get 5 or 6 rounds from each beet.
  9. Pour the custard into the pastry shell, then lay the beets on top, being careful not to overflow the pastry shell.
  10. Bake at 400 until the pastry is golden, the custard is set, and the top is just a little brown.
  11. About 5 minutes before you pull the tart out of the oven, heat a small amount of oil in a large saute pan. Roughly chop the beet greens and saute them until wilted, adding salt and pepper to taste. (We liked these served on top of the tart, but you can also serve them as a simple side dish.)
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  • Midge
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  • LisaD
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20 Reviews

Jennifer S. February 28, 2017
I used homemade labneh instead of goat cheese and sliced the beets really thin so I didn't have to roast them beforehand. It worked nicely!
 
fatgirleating May 24, 2016
Thanks all for the comments! I love that you love this as much as I do
 
judy April 13, 2016
Love beets and always eat the greens. This sounds amazing. I roast my beets whole, and never bother removing the skins. Lots of nutrients in them! My son is coming and he will love this. Gotta try it first, right?
 
James Y. July 22, 2015
I served it hot, but my wife ate a piece the following morning right out of the fridge and she loved it ('course she likes cold spaghetti sandwiches, too).
 
ella July 22, 2015
can this be served cold or is it best straight out of the oven?
 
James Y. July 20, 2015
Fatgirleating;
Planted beets for the first time this year, golden and red, and while I have several recipes for beets, this is now my favorite. Surprised my wife with your tart with an arugula/Mache salad and a couple of small filets, and I thought she'd lost her power of speech! all I heard was; "Yummmm...". Great dish. My compliments!
 
Midge October 17, 2014
Delish! Thanks for a great recipe.
 
LisaD July 23, 2014
Roughly how long should this bake in step #10?
 
Tina H. July 23, 2014
I think I cooked mine for about 10-12 minutes.
 
LisaD September 12, 2015
It took me 30 minutes.
 
Tina H. June 28, 2014
I made this last night for dinner, it was a huge hit! I can see this recipe becoming a standard go-to for company!
 
fatgirleating June 30, 2014
i'm so glad you enjoyed it!
 
Leo S. October 21, 2013
For something that looks so simple this sure has a lot of steps
 
fatgirleating October 21, 2013
It seems like a lot, but it's no more fiddly than any rustic tart or galette. You can cheat and use store bought pastry and I've even seen whole boiled baby beets. I think roasting gives a deeper sweeter flavor to the beets but if you try the other let us know how it comes out.
 
ChristyBean April 3, 2013
Oh I bet the chioggias are gorgeous! Does their color keep when roasted? I've only had them raw or steamed and the latter does zap their color, despite adding lemon juice.
I made it with red beets and it was a hit! I'd roasted the beets over the weekend while making bread, and so all I had to do when I got home last night was roll out the dough, mix egg and cheese and slice. After 20 minutes in the oven, dinner was ready! This is probably a record for me.
 
fatgirleating April 3, 2013
it does muddle the striations a little bit, but it's still pretty clear that you're not getting the standard reds. i expect you could peel and slice the beets and roast them on a baking sheet to help preserve the colors (and cut your roasting time too) but i haven't done it that way.
 
fatgirleating April 2, 2013
you can't see it, but this is my squeeeee face! (it's my first time...lol)
 
creamtea March 28, 2013
Congratulations on the CP; this looks lovely!
 
Fig A. March 16, 2013
this sounds positively yummilicious!
 
fatgirleating March 21, 2013
it's honestly the thing i make when i'm feeling fancy but not fussy. and it's good with every beet varietal i've used so far. red and golden are yummm, and chioggia beets are dazlingly pretty.