Roasted balsamic beetroot and shallot tart

This simple vegan tart is topped with roasted beetroot and shallots and a quick cashew ‘cream cheese’. Delicious served with salad.

Ingredients

For the beetroot tart

• 4–5 medium beetroots, well-scrubbed and sliced into 0.5cm/¼in discs
• 4 banana shallots, peeled, halved or quartered lengthways
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (don’t use anything too fancy, a supermarket version will do)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 320g/11½oz pack ready-rolled vegan puff pastry
• 40g/1½oz hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped (optional)
• handful fresh herbs, such as flatleaf parsley, or other flavourful salad leaves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the ‘cream cheese’

• 115g/4oz cashew nuts, soaked in boiled water for 15 minutes
• 120ml/4fl oz cashew milk or any plant-based milk
• ½ tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• pinch white pepper
• 1 tsp dried onion granules

For the pastry glaze

• 1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp plant-based milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

2. Mix together the beetroot slices, shallots, thyme sprigs, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, season, then spread out on one of the baking trays. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until everything is tender.

3. When the beetroot goes in the oven, unroll the pastry. Place it, still on its paper, onto a baking tray. (If you buy puff pastry that isn’t ready rolled, you can always roll it into a large rectangle about 5mm thick, or make whatever shape you like.) Lightly score a rough border it, approximately 1.5cm/¾in from the edge, and prick the middle with a fork.

4. When the beetroot has had about half its cooking time, place the pastry in the oven for 8–10 minutes. The border should puff up nicely and the pastry should be crisp and golden all over.

5. To make the vegan ‘cream cheese’, drain the soaked cashew nuts and combine with the rest of the ingredients and a pinch of salt in a blender. Blend until silky smooth, stirring from time-to-time. You want the mixture to be as smooth as possible, so add an extra splash of milk if needed.

6. Once the pastry and beetroot are cooked, use a palette knife to spread half of the cashew ‘cheese’ over the pastry, avoiding the borders. Neatly layer the beetroot and shallots on top. Dollop teaspoons of the remaining cashew ‘cheese’ on top of the beetroot, then sprinkle over the nuts (if using).

7. Mix together the ingredients to make the pastry glaze and brush along the borders of the tart. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes until golden.

8. Scatter over any fresh herbs, rocket or baby salad leaves to add a bit of colour. Serve with additional salad leaves on the side.

Roasted balsamic beetroot and shallot tart