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1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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2
Wrap the beets in foil and roast them until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 1 1/2 hours.
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3
Allow the beets to cool slightly then peel them using a paring knife.
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4
Cut off the stem and root end of each beet, leaving each with 2 flat sides.
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5
Slice the beets in half horizontally creating 8 disks.
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6
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, punch out a circle from each half.
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7
Set aside the 8 beet circles.
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8
Turn the oven up to 425 degrees F.
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9
Roll out the pastry very slightly so that it is an even thickness.
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10
Cut the pastry into 8 (3 1/4-inch) rounds.
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11
Wrap the rounds in plastic and chill well.
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12
Prepare the caramel (see Cook's Note below).
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13
Place the pie tins on a large baking sheet.
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14
Combine the butter and sugar in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan.
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15
Melt the mixture over high heat.
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16
Cook the caramel until it is almost chestnut brown then remove it from the heat.
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17
Quickly but very carefully ladle or pour enough hot caramel into each pie tin to just cover the bottom.
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18
Allow the caramel to cool and harden.
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19
Slice each beet round diagonally 3 or 4 times and divide the slices between the tart tins.
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20
Cover each tin with a round of puff pastry.
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21
Bake the tarts in the oven until the pastry is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes.
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22
Remove the tarts from the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes (the caramel should still be hot and soft but not moltenif it cools too long just reheat the tarts long enough to melt the caramel).
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23
Carefully turn out each tart onto a plate, letting the juice and caramel run onto the plate.
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24
The pastry should be on the bottom and the red beet on top.
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25
Serve warm, garnishing each plate with a quenelle of goat cheese or Herbed Chevre.
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26
Cook's note: Making the caramel for the bottom of the tart pans is a dangerous process.
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27
The caramel gets very hot and can cause serious burns.
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28
Be careful!
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29
To clean caramel-coated pots and spoons: Boil water in the pot and submerge spoons and ladles.
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30
The caramel will soften and is then easy to wash away.
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31
Again, be careful.
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32
1 1/2 cups fresh chevre, warmed to room temperature
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33
1 teaspoon finely minced shallots
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34
1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic
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35
2 tablespoons white truffle oil*
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36
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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37
1/2 cup finely minced mixed fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, tarragon)
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38
Freshly ground black pepper
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39
*Available at gourmet stores
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40
Combine the chevre, shallots, garlic, truffle oil, and olive oil in a food processor or mixer.
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41
Pulse or mix just until the ingredients are combined.
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42
By hand, fold in the mixed herbs.
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43
Transfer the cheese to a bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.
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44
Cook's note: Mixing too much will cause the structure of the cheese to break down.
