Root vegetable tarte tatin

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed if frozen
• Leftover parsnips and carrots
• 50g brown sugar
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tbsp dried or fresh thyme
• 50-100g soft cheese (cow or goat)

Method

Heat your oven to 220°C. Slice your leftover root vegetables into rounds approximately 1-2cm thick. The thickness of your vegetables will determine how many you require. You’re likely to need to equivalent of three full-sized carrots and two full-sized parsnips.

Prepare a 23cm round cake tin or pie dish with a sheet of baking paper at the base. Using the base of your dish as a guide, cut out a circular disc from your puff pastry sheet. Set aside.

Add the brown sugar and 60ml water to a saucepan on a medium heat. Heat until the sugar begins to dissolve. Swirl gently, but do not stir. Once bubbling and syrupy in texture, remove from the heat. This is your caramel.

Add the thyme, rosemary and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the caramel.

Gently spread a generous layer of your soft cheese all over the circular puff pastry sheet. Set aside.

Arrange the root vegetable slices all over the base of your pie dish, minimising the gaps between them. You may find you have too many at this stage, or that you need to slice a few more vegetables to fill the spaces.

Pour the caramel mixture over the root vegetables, as evenly as possible. Place the pastry disc on top, cheese-side down. With a fork, make a few gentle pricks over the pastry disc, then tuck the edges in at the sides ever so slightly using a spoon or a blunt knife. This will help keep the tart intact when you eventually turn it over.

Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown all over. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 mins. Place a kitchen towel below where you want to flip the tarte tatin. Invert a large plate over the top of the pie dish and, using oven gloves, carefully and quickly flip the tarte tatin onto the plate.

Garnish with herbs and enjoy the same day.

Image: Nadja Auerbach