Description
This Carrot Tart will bring zest to your taste-buds and your table. Beautiful, sweet, earthy carrots, flavoured with orange and coriander, set in creamy ricotta on a crisp pastry base will brighten up those grey winter days!
Ingredients
Scale
- 320 g frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg
- 150 g carrots
- Salt and pepper
- 125 g ricotta
- 50 g feta cheese
- 1 orange
- Small bunch of fresh coriander (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Set your oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6.
- Roll the frozen pasty into square or rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut it into four evenly sized squares or rectangles. Cut a 1 cm strip of pastry around the edge of each of the squares or rectangles.
- Break and whisk the egg. Using a pastry brush, paint the beaten egg around the edge of each square or rectangle. Place the strips of pastry around the edge of each square or rectangle. These will form the “walls” around each of your tarts.
- Put the pastry squares or rectangles onto a baking sheet.
- Prepare the carrots either by peeling them or scrubbing them to remove any dirt. If they are large, cut each one in half lengthwise. Place the prepared carrots in a saucepan of boiling salted water and simmer for around 10 minutes. You want them to be slightly softened but not fully cooked. Remove the carrots from the saucepan and run under cold water to cool them enough so they can be easily handled.
- While the carrots are cooking, mash together the ricotta and feta in a medium-sized bowl. Add the grated zest of the orange and the finely chopped coriander. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread the cheese mixture onto each of your four pastry squares or rectangles.
- Arrange the carrots on top of the cheese mixture on each of the four pastry squares or rectangles.
- Put the tarts into the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.
- While the tarts are cooking, put the juice of your orange, sugar and balsamic vinegar in a small pan. Cook gently uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half. This will form a glaze for the tarts which will add flavour and also give them an attractive sheen!
- When the tarts are cooked, remove them from the oven and paint the glaze over the carrot topping.
- The tarts can be eaten either hot or cold. If you are planning to eat them cold, place on a baking rack to cool so that the pastry remains crisp.