How is it that whenever I draw inspiration from our recipe of the week by Ursula Heinzelmann, it always ends with something baked? ... Last time it was a Romanesco tart with blue cheese – this time a beetroot tarte tatin in a freestyle version with Piedmont hazelnuts, olives, and two types of cheese. Maybe something in her recipes tickles the baker in me?
Anyway ... Ursula was at our shop for a photo shoot the other day and that encouraged me to leaf through her wonderful book "Erlebnis Essen" again, which is also where the recipe for the other tart comes from. In the meantime, I was nibbling on some of our heavenly hazelnuts from Piedmont and then very quickly stumbled over the recipe for the beetroot tarte tatin. Immediately, a combination of these two great ingredients took shape in my head: beetroot and hazelnuts, that must go together perfectly! Because I wanted a savory hard cheese to go with the nuts, Parmesan and Pecorino Fiore Sardo quickly joined the party. This Sardinian hard cheese made from raw sheep's milk is very intense and carries fine smoky notes. It classically pairs very well with membrillo, this quince paste that you may already know from our shop or from your Spanish holiday. There it is eaten with Manchego. And if our Pecorino pairs well with membrillo, I figured it must also work perfectly with beetroot. Besides, it is currently simply one of my favorite cheeses. As a final ingredient, I chose Nyons olives. These dry-cured black, slightly shriveled olives add a very special note to any dish. For example, add a few of them to your ratatouille, to a tomato sauce, to a salad of cucumber, tomato, and watermelon ...
How wonderful it is to be inspired while cooking (or baking) – you just have to gather all your favorite ingredients together … and you can get started!
Ingredients (for 3 - 4 people as a side dish):
- 40g Butter
- 2 - 3 beetroot bulbs
- 1 generous handful Hazelnuts
- approx. 10 Nyons olives
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used the Merlot vinegar from Forum)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 200g puff pastry
Preparation:
Generously grease a round tart pan of approx. 23cm diameter with butter. Halve the beetroot, cut into thin slices and arrange them in overlapping circles to line the pan. In the original recipe, the pan is lined with two layers of beetroot – for my version, I decided to replace the second layer with hazelnuts and olives.
Halve the hazelnuts and the olives as well. Remove the pit in the process (this is relatively easy with Nyons olives and you don't need a pitter, just a simple sharp knife). Then sprinkle the nuts and olives over the beetroot.
Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, pour one to one and a half tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar over it and sprinkle 20g of butter in small pieces on top.
Roll out the puff pastry into a circle about 2cm larger than the pan, place it on the pan and carefully tuck the overhanging edge between the edge of the pan and the beetroot.
Prick the dough several times with a fork and chill the tart for at least 30 minutes.
Bake at 180°C in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes ...
... only then place a round tray over it and flip it over in one quick motion.
It already looks great and would surely taste fantastic on its own, but I was curious about the combination with the cheese. Roughly chop or crumble the Fiore Sardo and/or Parmesan and sprinkle it over the tart. Finally, sprinkle a few fresh herbs over it. I chose dill and coriander because I generally find the combination of beetroot and coriander unbeatable.
Our verdict: the tart is a treasure trove of aromas – thanks to the beetroot it is mild and earthy-aromatic, the vinegar adds a sweet acidity. The nuts in turn emphasize the mild note of the tart and bring a nice crunchy contrast, while the olives give the tart the necessary heartiness through their aromatic Mediterranean seasoning ... The intense cheese and fresh herbs round off the bouquet even further and make all the aromas shine.
A green salad with a vinaigrette made from the same vinegar tastes excellent with it. Bon appétit!
Our wine recommendations: the Château Argadens Blanc AOC Bordeaux Supérieur is a fresh, white Bordeaux with a powerful nose with notes of mango and pineapple, which are enhanced by woody oak and vanilla notes. On the palate, this wine shows itself as balanced, full-bodied, smooth, and pleasantly fresh. Typically Sauvignon. A very round, characterful wine with a long, fresh finish.
Alternatively, we recommend the Pouilly-Fumé 2015 "Les Angelots" with aromas of white blossoms and citrus fruits and a high minerality, which pairs perfectly with the earthy-mild taste of the beetroot.
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The original recipe is by © Ursula Heinzelmann and can be found in her book "Erlebnis Essen: Vom Duft der Erdbeere und der Würze des Teltower Rübchens" , which was published in 2006 by Fischer Scherz Verlag.
