Butternut and Beetroot Tart with a Feta and Nut Cream

Valentines Day is fast approaching and with that a world of disappointment for the thousands that forgot, didn't getting a reservation, or just didn't plan it right. Restaurants will be packed to the rafters so why no spoil your someone special with a beautiful dinner at home? Get a good bottle of wine (a slightly wooded chenin or chardonnay would go down a treat with this), a big bunch of flowers and you're golden!

This is my final phyllo recipe in conjunction with Mediterranean Delicacies for their #PhabPhyllo campaign. And I think this final recipe might be my favourite: the combination of the feta, cream and nuts is deliciously rich and pairs beautifully with the sweet butternut, slightly tart beetroot and crispy phyllo. If you can't fathom eating strictly vegetarian then pair this with some lemon and herb chicken breasts...I'm sure you could get creative and shape those into heart too ;) 

Broccoli, Caramelised Onion and Goat’s Cheese Tart

I've partnered up with Mediterranean Delicacies to create a series of easy and delicious recipes using their phyllo pastry. They're trying to educate consumers on how easy it is to use as there are many misconceptions that it's tricky and complex. This tart recipe is perfect for summer and delicious both hot and cold. I tend to pair it a simple salad as a main or with a roast chicken as the perfect side. Either which way, it's scrumptious.

Parma Ham and Asparagus Tart

A little tart inspired by the latest food trend - 'Umami': which can be loosely translated as ‘delicious savoury taste’ and is the latest food craze to hit the Western world. Traditionally, we have always understood that there are 4 basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter, but ‘Umami’ is thought to be the 5^th taste – the epitome of savoury. ‘Umami’ rich ingredients include: truffles, Parmesan, shellfish, cured hams such as Parma ham, mushrooms, fish sauce, soya sauce and asparagus.

Tomato tart

I descended upon Woolworths the other day and stumbled across a new product of theirs - a 1kg box of exotic tomatoes, the box had: yellow, pink, vine, tiger striped and cœur du bœuf (heart of beef) tomatoes - which to me was like finding a little treasure box of goodies! So I thought for a minute about what I might make - I wanted to make something that would show off all their beautiful colours and shapes - so I bought a roll of (all butter) puff pastry and set to work making a simple but seriously tasty tart.

I also bought some ripe brie, watercress and rocket to go with it. If you can't buy exotic tomotoes then you can just use a mixture of cherry and rosa tomatoes.

Tart tatin

This is one of those desserts that I will forever be enamored with French for making but will forever resent the French for naming...'Tart tatin' -the only way to say it is as if you have just tasted something awful and bitter so that you widen your mouth into a frog-like smile to let the words drip off your tongue to get the pronunciation right. In Layman's terms you would pronounce it 'tert - tata' with a 'n' on the end that is present but in the same annoying way as the 't' in 'Moet'. - in short, if you don't get it or can't get it, forget about it, just make it and tell your friends that it is a French apple tart, or say 'tart tatin' under your breath in the hope that they will all be too embarrassed to ask you to repeat it. Either way you should make this.

Tart tatin

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)
7 apples (granny smith)
1/2 cup sugar
50g butter
1 packet ready-made puff pastry
Cream to serve

Method:
Preheat oven to 220*C and grease a 23 centimeter oven proof frying pan or completely metal cake tin (you are going to melt the sugar in it on the stove top)
Peal, core and halve the apples.
Pour the sugar into the pan/cake tin and place on the stove top on high heat. When the sugar begins to dissolve swirl the pan so that the sugar melts evenly, once the sugar has melted and has turned a golden brown colour, continue to swirl until it turns a lighter shade of caramel (approx 5 min), now add the butter and swirl the pan so that, as the butter melts, it dissolves into the sugar to create a caramel.
When the caramel is a deep brown take it off the stove. (If it begins to darken too quickly, put the bottom of the pan into a sink of cold water which will stop the cooking process immediately.)
Carefully arrange the apples, centre side up in the caramel in the pan.
Cut the pastry into a circle just larger than the pan and carefully cover the apples with the circle of pastry. Tuck in the edges and prick the top with a fork.
Bake for 20 minutes on 220 and then a further 20-25 minutes on 200.
Remove from the oven, place a plate on top of the pan and, making sure not to burn yourself, turn the pan and plate over to release the tart onto the plate.
Serve warm or cold with cream.

If you are serving your tart the next day - I would advise you glaze it with a little melted apricot jam as the longer the tart stands, the more its shine will dissipate.