Beetroot & Ricotta Tart
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes plus cooling
Servings makes 1 x 36 x 12 cm tart
Ingredients
Buckwheat Pastry
300g buckwheat flour
200g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
2 egg yolk
50ml water, cold
Pinch salt flakes
Canola oil spray
Leek & Caraway Filling
½ tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp light olive oil
25g unsalted butter
3 leeks, small, finely sliced
Salt flakes
Ricotta Filling
150g ricotta
75g mascarpone, room temperature
1 egg yolk
Salt flakes
Cracked black pepper
Roasted Beetroots
6-8 baby beetroots, washed
6-8 baby golden beetroots, washed
100ml light olive oil
Salt flakes
Cracked black pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
To Serve
Celery hearts
Dill fronds
Continental parsley leaves
Method
Preheated the oven to 180°C. Prepare 1 X 36 cm X 12 cm loose base rectangular tart ring – store in the freezer until needed.
To make the pastry: Place the buckwheat flour and butter into a bowl and rub between your fingertips until the mixture resembles a fine sandy texture. Add the egg yolk, water and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well with light fingers until the pastry starts to come together. Turn out onto a bench and bring together to form a soft dough. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 - 20 minutes.
To roast the beetroots: Preheat the oven to 180°C and trim the beetroots of their leaves and top and tail each beetroot with a small paring knife. Keep the beetroots separate from the golden ones to prevent bleeding and add them to two roasting trays. Add half the oil to the beetroots and the remaining half to the golden beetroots and shake the tray. Season both with salt and pepper and cover them with aluminium foil. Place into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes to cook through. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the foil, use a paring knife to check they are cooked by pushing the tip into the beetroot. If it goes in without resistance the beets are cooked. If further cooking is required reattach the foil and place back into the oven until they are done.
Once the beets are cooked remove from the oven and leave them covered with the foil for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Remove the foil and gently peel the beets from their skin. Place the red beetroots into a bowl and pour over the cooking juices and a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Cover to macerate for half an hour and do the same with the golden beetroots.
To make the leek filling: Add the butter and oil to a saucepan and turn onto a medium heat, add the caraway seeds and sliced leeks and seasoning. Cook to soften over a medium to low heat for 10 - 15 minutes, stir regularly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Roll the pastry: Remove the dough from the fridge and knead to a dough. Lightly flour the surface with buckwheat flour and roll the pastry into a long rectangle shape (larger than your tart tin). Roll to a thickness of ½ cm and place onto a piece of baking paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Make the ricotta filling: In a mixing bowl add the ricotta and mascarpone and season, add the yolk and mix well with a spatula. Set aside.
To blind-bake the tart: Remove the tart tin from the freezer and the pastry from the fridge. Lightly spray the tin with canola spray and gently lift the pastry into the tart. Use your fingers to push the pastry into the base and sides of the tin. Place the tin back into the fridge to chill for 5 minutes. Remove the tin and use a paring knife to trim any excess pastry. Line the tart with baking parchment and weigh down with baking beans or rice. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes before removing and leaving to cool down. Remove the baking beans and paper and ensure the tart is cooked, if not, pop it back into the oven for a couple of minutes.
Assembly of the tart: Transfer the cooked leeks into the tart base and use a small offset spatula to level in the filling evenly. Add spoons of the ricotta filling on top and use the spatula to level smooth again. Slice or cut the beetroots and arrange them on top of the ricotta filling. Cover the surface of the tart using all of the beetroot pieces. Place the tart back into the oven for 15 - 20 minutes to bake. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool down in the tin.
Combine all of the beetroot cooking juices and brush the top of the tart with them. Use the remaining juices to dress the celery hearts and herbs for a side salad to serve with a slice of tart.
