Glazed Beet And Thyme Tarte Tatin Recipe

The French are well known for their exquisite pastry creations, from the delicate macaron to the creamy eclair. Another famous pastry originating from France is the tarte tatin. Most often served with a sweet apple filling, the tarte tatin is, put simply, an upside-down pastry pie. The pie filling is placed in a dish or pan and then the pastry is placed on top before the whole thing is baked in the oven and then inverted. This method is perfect for creating a wonderfully light and crisp pastry crust as, due to it sitting on top, it doesn't get soggy from the moisture in the filling.

This glazed beet and thyme tarte tatin recipe, developed by Tasting Table recipe developer Jennine Rye, takes a more savory approach to the tarte, with a filling comprised of cooked beets, onion, and thyme. The sweet and tangy brown sugar and balsamic glaze is further flavored with star anise, giving the tarte tatin a subtle spiced flavor. Perfect enjoyed warm for lunch or served with boiled new potatoes and salad for a more substantial meal, this beet tarte tatin is an elegant dish that is surprisingly simple to assemble and bake.

To begin this glazed beet and thyme tarte tatin recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want a pack of ready-rolled puff pastry, butter, olive oil, onions, star anise, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, salt and pepper, and precooked beets.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the pre-rolled pastry onto a board.

Cut pastry into a circle 10 inches in diameter, then place into the fridge to keep chilled.

Add the butter and olive oil to an oven-safe 9-inch skillet on medium heat.

Add the sliced onions to the pan.

Cook until soft, roughly 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the star anise, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, cook for 2 minutes until the sugar has melted and a glaze has formed.

Add the beets to the pan, stir around to coat them in the star anise and thyme glaze and season well with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat off and leave the pan to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

When the pan is cool, remove the pastry circle from the fridge and cover the beets with it.

Tuck the pastry in neatly around the edges.

Place in the preheated oven to cook for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is risen and golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before carefully turning out the tarte tatin onto a serving plate. Garnish with thyme, slice, and serve.

The wonderful thing about a tarte tatin is that it is more of a cooking style blueprint for a wide variety of different pastry creations than one specific dish. You can adapt this glazed beet and thyme tarte tatin recipe in an assortment of ways, whether you have dietary or taste preferences, or the supermarket doesn't have certain ingredients in stock.

If you would like to step up the wow factor for this recipe, you can purchase some different types of beet and then oven-roast them before incorporating them into the tarte tatin. Some beautifully colored and striped varieties would make this dish a real showstopper, such as golden beets and striking red and white candy-striped Chioggia beets. You can also tweak the taste of the tarte tatin by adding different herbs with the thyme or instead of it. Rosemary, tarragon, or even a dash of herbes de Provence would all create new flavor profiles for the dish.

While this recipe uses ready-rolled puff pastry, it is also possible to make the tarte tatin with store-bought or even homemade shortcrust pastry to give the recipe a different finish. Similarly, if you are able to source it, regular pastry can be substituted with a gluten-free variety to make this dish safe for those following a gluten-free diet.

Once you've created your beet tarte tatin, you'll want to make sure to store it properly to keep it fresh and tasty. While this dish is at its best served freshly baked from the oven with the flaky buttery pastry still warm and crisp, it is possible to store any leftovers to be enjoyed at a later date. Simply place the cooled tarte tatin into an airtight container or wrap it well with plastic wrap, and then store it in the fridge for two to three days.

As the refrigeration process can cause the pastry to become a little soft and soggy, to restore your tarte tatin to its former glory we recommend you reheat it in the oven. While it can also be reheated in the microwave, or eaten cold, the process of heating in the oven will help the pastry to crisp up again. This tarte tatin can also be frozen if need be, just remember to allow it to cool and to wrap it securely before placing it into the freezer, and allow it to defrost again overnight in the fridge and then reheat in the oven to retain the best quality texture for your dish.