This beetroot and goat cheese tart is the perfect mix of savory and sweet. It looks fancy enough to serve at a dinner party, yet it couldn't be simpler to pull together. This tasty dish makes a great vegetarian appetizer - or even a main dish!
I recently came across this recipe for a Beetroot and Goats Cheese Tart in a cookbook from Valli Little. I love pastry, and the photo accompanying the recipe showed such pretty glimpses of the vibrant red beetroot poking out from between slits in the pastry. It was so tempting, I couldn't wait to give this recipe a try!
In the book, it was called a jalousie (pronounced JAL-uh-see), which comes from the French name for louvre windows. It is a French style pastry with slits, or cuts, in the top layer of pastry, which provide a peek at the filling inside. Much like a strudel.
And I think those little glimpses of the purplish red beetroot and pink tinged goats cheese peeking out from the slits in the pastry make this a particularly beautiful recipe to add to your collection.
The rich earthy flavors of beetroot become sweet when made into a marmalade, and contrast so well with the tartness of the goat's cheese.
All you need to accompany this beetroot and goats cheese tart is a simple green salad.
It's also delicious hot or cold, making it perfect for picnics, and equally wonderful enjoyed in summer and winter.
If you are short on time - and aren't we all these days? - simply get your hands on a jar of beetroot marmalade from a gourmet food store instead of making your own.
It also saves the inevitable red stained hands that come with peeling and chopping beetroot, which may leave you feeling like an extra from True Blood. 😉
Beetroot and Goats Cheese Tart
Ingredients
BEETROOT MARMALADE:
- 2 beetroots medium sized
- 2 green apples coarsely grated
- ¼ tsp nutmeg freshly grated
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 2 star anise
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup caster sugar
JALOUSIE
- 2 sheets puff pastry thawed if frozen
- 10 oz goats cheese
- 1 tbsp freshly picked thyme leaves
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and wrap the beetroot in foil and place in a roasting try. Roast for 1 hour, or until tender. Set aside to cool before coarsely grating.
- Combine the grated beetroot and apple in a saucepan along with the nutmeg, cloves and star anise. Add the red wine vinegar and caster sugar and place over a high heat. Bring to a simmer and then reduce to medium, cover and cook for 1 hour, or until thickened and reduced. Remove the lid and cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) and prepare the pastry. Cut the sheets of pastry in half and one sheet spread the beetroot marmalade over the middle of each half, leaving a 2cm border. Top with crumbled goats cheese and the thyme leaves.
- Using a sharp knife, cut slits in each half of the pastry, starting about 4 cm in from the edge, spacing each cut 1cm apart. Carefully place each half on top of the base and press to seal around the filling. Trim the edges and then brush lightly with beaten egg.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
Lynds says
This was fabulous. The only thing I changed was to cut down a bit on the cinnamon since I'm not keen on it. I also substituted 300g of goats' cheese for the 300g of goats that the recipe called for, but it still came out OK.
Jennifer says
Thanks for picking up that error Lynds. I've corrected the 300g of goats to 300g of goats cheese 😀 Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Deb says
This is lovely recipe to show beet root in all it's spectacular bold color! A perfect dinner paired with tossed green salad.
delicieux says
Thanks Deb 😀 And it would be wonderful dinner party food, you're right there.
erin @ yummy supper says
Jennifer, these look delish. I bet the creamy goat cheese, the tangy beets and that flaky crust come together to make for a perfect bite:)
-Erin
delicieux says
The beets are actually quite sweet in this, in fact, it could, in a pinch, pass as a dessert! But really, it's so beautiful and really quite different. Which is what I love about it.
[email protected] says
Look at the beetroot colors! So inviting!
delicieux says
Thanks Anh 😀 I love the beautiful pinkiness of this dish.
Moya says
Yes, I could not agree more... your jalousie looks fantastic and beetroot and goats cheese are a favourite of mine and I bet it tastes wonderful. Did not know the meaning of "jalousie", thanks for the info. 🙂
Kiri W. says
Oh this looks fantastic ! The sweetness from the beets should be a perfect contrast to the goat cheese 🙂
cc11 says
I love jalousies, never thought to make a savoury version - and beetroot and goat's cheese is one of my fave combinations, yum!
Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says
I'm definitely book marking this! Right up my alley!!
delicieux says
I thought it might be one you'd like. Let me know what you think of it if you do try it 😀
Katie @ Epicurean Mom says
Jennifer, these look amazing! I'm not a fan of goat cheese but I think I may actually like these! Yum!! 🙂 Congrats on the blogher syndication! Yippee!
delicieux says
Thanks Katie 😀 And I'm not usually a fan of goats cheese either but it works well in this and contrasts with the sweet earthy flavour of the beetroot marmalade.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
A very unique and gorgeous tart!! You've outdone yourself on this recipe, Jen. Love the photos!!!! So drool-worthy 😀
delicieux says
Thank you so much Kiran 😀
[email protected] says
Delicious :D!! What stunning colours - love it. I use to hate beetroot when I was younger. No I eat it out of the can haha
delicieux says
Thanks Nic 😀 I love the colours too!
[email protected] says
This is such a fabulous recipe J. I mean what goes better with beets than goat cheese? Though I don't buy goat cheese as often (pretty expensive in our world)
delicieux says
I don't buy goats cheese that often either, but my Mum has told me she's made her own recently and it was exceptionally easy. So I'll try that and share the recipe 😀
thelittleloaf says
The colour of this is absolutely incredible! I'm not a huge fan of beetroot but I think wrapped in this pastry with a lovely layer of goat's cheese I'd definitely be willing to give it a go 🙂
delicieux says
I think you might like this as the beetroot is so sweet and delicious. It really brings something else out in them, and even my fiance, who doesn't like beetroot, went back for seconds! 😀
Anna @The Littlest Anchovy says
I would love to slice into this to be greeted by that beautiful colour! Looks just beautiful 🙂
delicieux says
Thanks Anna 😀 It really is so pretty with that bright colour hidden inside 😀
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Jalousies are always so pretty and the rich red color of the filling really makes this one very tempting.
[email protected] says
Yum! I've never heard of jalousie's before 🙂 these are great and i love the red colour peeping through 🙂 thanks for sharing~
Denise says
I love the combination of beetroot and goat cheese, so I know I will adore this recipe!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
It's so pretty it looks like luscious pink lips. Yum yum yum!
Rosa says
A terrific combo! Those jalousies look incredibly tempting.
happy Monday!
Cheers,
Rosa
Lizzy (Good Things) says
This looks delicious, Jen... I bet it tastes fantastic too!
delicieux says
It did actually. It even got my fiance's tick of approval as he went back for seconds 😀
Katherine Martinelli says
This is just gorgeous!! I've seen pastries like this before but never knew they were called jalousies - what a great name. As we were just discussing on Twitter, you really can't go wrong with goat cheese - but I'm particularly loving this deviation from the standard plain beet and goat cheese salad (a favorite of mine, but this just brings it to a whole new level!).
beti says
what a great idea and such lovely colors! beetroot and goat cheese sound really good together
delicieux says
Thanks Beti 😀 Beetroot and goats cheese are always so good together.
[email protected] says
It Worked! Anything with beets and goat's cheese gets my undivided attention and the pastry is always a bonus! Looks amazingly good!
delicieux says
Thanks Martyna 😀