A beetroot tarte tatin and a rainbow of colors

It is all about these beets.

... and those stripes.

My weekly trips to the farmer's market have been fruitful. I come back with a loaded basket of watercress, tangled pea shoots, heirloom tomatoes, microgreens, kale, Sicilian eggplants, carrots that are twister into knots, and a rainbow of beets.



I have been cooking with beets nearly everyday.

Simply roasted with olive oil and sea salt, tossed together with quinoa, grated raw in a deeply pigmented slaw, and I even baked another batch of these muffins - the pink muffins as we are calling them now.

We cannot get enough of them.



There is a really wonderful beet tart recipe in my upcoming book that I cannot wait to share with you. Inspired by that tart, I set out to cook a roasted multicolor beet and purple potato tarte tatin for Miren and myself a few days ago.

What a sight of colors as they were neatly arranged on the baking sheet. Unreal.

Once baked, Miren couldn't wait for me to cut a slice for her and dove immediately into it, pulling every single round of roasted root vegetable from the crust.

"Purple, yellow, red..." she said as she ate the slightly caramelized vegetables. She seems to only want to surround herself with purple these days, even when it comes to food.

So we were forced to eat the tart... shall we say, deconstructed?

I made a second one the following day.



The raw beet salad served with a bit of goat cheese and pistachios was my lunch. Marinated in a vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, honey and a touch of pistachio oil. Beautiful to look, nutritious, and flavorful.

This one I will have to make for friends soon.



Pleased to learn that my blog has been nominated as Best Food Photography on a Blog for this year's The Kitchn Homies. You can see many beautiful blogs and you can vote here.

Roasted Beet and Purple Potato Tarte Tatin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere Cheese

makes a 7-inch tart

Buckwheat and Hazelnut Tart Crust

1/2 cup (70 g) superfine brown rice flour
1/3 cup (45 g) buckwheat flour
1/3 cup (40 g) tapioca starch
1/3 cup (35 g) hazelnut flour
2 teaspoons ground chia seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (110 g) cold unsalted butter, diced
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Combine the first seven ingredients in the food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the diced butter and pulse about ten times until the butter is the size of peas. Add the water and pulse until dough comes together. It will not form a ball. Simply press it between your fingers to see if it holds.

Transfer dough to your preferably cold surface and knead a couple of times. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten it with your hands, and refrigerate for one hour.

(In this time, roast the beets and purple potatoes).

Dust your cold surface with a bit of superfine brown rice flour. Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut a circle that is slightly bigger than your mold. The scraps can be saved for another time.

Transfer the tart base to a sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate the tart base for 30 minutes.

Prepare the filling


5 assorted colors baby beets (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium purple potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 springs thyme
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1.5 ounces (45 g) Grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Toss the slices beets and purple potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, pinch salt and black pepper. Bake the vegetables for 30 minutes until potatoes are done (they take less time than beets) and remove them. Continue to bake the beets for a few more minutes until tender, about 10 more minutes. Set aside and cool while making filling.

Reduce oven temperature to 375F (190C).

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the rest of the olive oil and cook the onions, fennel, garlic, and a pinch of salt until tender and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and remove from heat. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Remove the tart crust from the refrigerator. Lightly dock it with a fork.

Place the roasted vegetables inside the tart mold tightly packed. Spread the caramelized onion and fennel mixture on top and sprinkle the Gruyere on top of that. Place the tart dough on top and tuck it into the edges.

Bake the tart for 30 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.