Beetroot and Endive Tarte Tatin with Goat’s Cheese Snow

This savoury riff on a classic French tarte tatin – which comes to us from Cook School Manager John – is elegant yet so simple to execute, especially with the Mauviel M’Passion Tarte Tatin Pan (24cm). The beetroot and endive – as well as shallots and walnuts – are balanced by the sugar required to achieve good caramelisation. Everything is brought together with the delicate, tangy Dorstone goat’s cheese ‘snow’ that is frozen and grated over the top of the tarte tatin.

Makes 1 tarte tatin (24cm); serves 4

100-180g block of Dorstone or any semi-soft goat’s cheese
120g salted butter, room temperature (plus more for greasing the pan)
30g golden caster sugar
4g fine salt (plus more for the marinade)
1g pink peppercorns, finely ground
20g Marmite
5g red wine vinegar
350g cooked, vacuum-packed beetroot, with 10g juice reserved
2 shallots, skins off
1 small endive, outer leaves removed
30g walnut halves
320g roll of ready-to-bake puff pastry

1. Place the cheese in the freezer at least 6 hours before serving.
2. Turn the oven to 180°C fan and prepare your tin for baking by greasing the base with butter. (You can use the butter wrapper to do this.)
3. In a separate bowl, combine the golden caster sugar, 4g (1 tsp) salt, and ground pink peppercorns. Add this mix to the base of the greased tarte tatin pan. Shuffle the pan so the sugar sticks to the butter and forms a layer. Tip out any excess.
4. Place the room temperature butter between 2 sheets of baking parchment and roll it to roughly the same size and shape as the base of the pan. Place it in the fridge to chill.
5. Mix the Marmite, red wine vinegar and beetroot juice in a large bowl until it forms a uniform glaze. Cut the beetroots, shallots, endive into quarters, and add to the marinade, along with the walnut halves. Add 1/2 tsp of salt. Mix well, making sure to marinate the vegetables thoroughly.
6. Remove the sheet of butter from the fridge, peel off the baking parchment on both sides, and place the butter at the base of the pan. Carefully place the different vegetables around the base, pressing them gently into the butter. Don’t worry if you have to build a second layer. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the vegetables.
7. Unroll your puff pastry and cut it to size – it needs to cover the pan completely. Place the pastry over the top of the vegetables and begin pressing the pastry down the sides of the pan and between the vegetables. Rotate the pan while pushing the pastry into the corners, moving the vegetables away from the edges (leaving about 1/2 cm of space). While you do this, occasionally push the centre of the pastry down to remove as much air as possible from inside the tarte. With a fork, lightly prick the pastry all over the surface before making one slightly bigger hole in the centre with a knife (roughly 1/2 cm).
8. Place in the tarte tatin in the centre of the oven and allow it to bake for 2 hours, turning halfway through.
9. Remove the tarte tatin from the oven. It should be golden brown on the surface, with the glaze bubbling at the sides. Place 2 or 3 small plates, right side up, on top of the pastry and let it rest for 30 minutes. (The plates need to be smaller than the width of the tarte tatin.) This will push the pastry into the vegetables and allow it to set.
10. Remove the plates from the pastry. Place the tarte tatin on the hob over medium high heat for 1 minute. This heat will help to release the vegetables and the tarte from the surface.
11. Now it’s time to flip the tarte tatin over. Put a plate large enough to hold the tarte tatin on top of the pan, upside down. Using gloves or a tea towel, hold the ears of the pan against the plate and flip the pan over. Carefully lift the pan off of the tarte. To top the tarte with goat’s cheese snow, use a Microplane grater to generously grate the cheese over the entirety of the tarte. The heat of the tarte will warm the cheese. Cut the tarte tatin into quarters and enjoy alongside a fresh green salad.

BK Tips

• Placing the plates on the top of the tarte as it sets should prevent any sticking. However, if your tarte still sticks when you flip it over, use a spatula to release the pastry from the sides and place it back into the oven at 180°C fan for a further 10 minutes. This will heat the butter at the edges of the pan and release the tarte when flipped.