Recipe Instructions:
3 small (2 to 3 inch diameter) beets, any color, with the greens
1/2 package of frozen puff pastry, or equivalent of homemade
1 egg
1/4 to 1/2 cups whole milk or cream
3 to 5 ounces soft chevre style goat cheese, room temperature
Salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste
Remove the greens from the beets, wash, and set aside.
Scrub the beets. Most recipies have you roast and then peel your beets, but I peel mine first and then roast them. It's easier to handle them when they aren't slippery, and I lose less of their delicious flesh. But use your prefered method.
Place each beet on a small square of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil, and wrap in the foil. Bake at 400 degrees anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your beets. They're done when they are knife tender and can be pierced with the tip of a paring knife with ease.
Once the beets are knife tender, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.
While the beets cool, roll the puff pastry out until you have a rough 10-inch square. Transfer the sqare to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roll in the edges of the pastry about an inch on all 4 sides so that you have a delicious pastry wall. Use a little water to seal the edges. You want to make sure that the custard doesn't leak out when poured into the "shell".
Combine the egg and the goat cheese with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Slowly add the milk or cream, stiring until you have a thick but pourable consistency. It should be no thinner than pancake batter.
Slice the beets into rounds. You should get 5 or 6 rounds from each beet.
Pour the custard into the pastry shell, then lay the beets on top, being careful not to overflow the pastry shell.
Bake at 400 until the pastry is golden, the custard is set, and the top is just a little brown.
About 5 minutes before you pull the tart out of the oven, heat a small amount of oil in a large saute pan. Roughly chop the beet greens and saute them until wilted, adding salt and pepper to taste. (We liked these served on top of the tart, but you can also serve them as a simple side dish.)
