Smoked Cheese and Beetroot Tarts.

Smoked Cheese, Beetroot, Roast Pumpkin and Veg Tarts.

YUM O. Copy or rather experiment (but successful) of tarts eaten in Devon at lovely Gastro Pub.

Pastry:
1) 175g flour. I used 1/2 wholewheat and the other 1/2 white.
The whole wheat gave the pastry a wonderful nutty taste.
2) 75g cold butter cut into small cubes.
3) 25g grated Parmesan cheese. Don't leave this out.
4) 1 egg yolk.
Put the first 2 ingredients in a processor and blitz until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the cheese and egg yolk and about a tablespoon of cold water.
Blitz.
 If it doesn't come together, add another tablespoon of water and blitz longer.

Knead briefly
Roll out onto lightly floured surface.  Then roll up and roll into the tart tins.  Leave for 30 mins in fridge.
This amount of pastry makes 2 small tarts and 1 medium sized.

Fill with crumpled tin foil ( the small tarts ) and tinfoil and beans the medium sized one.
Bake preheated oven 200C  for 20 mins but only 15 for small tarts.
Remove.
Then remove foil and beans, return to the oven for 5 mins, and 3 minutes for tiny tarts.
Remove and allow to cool.

Boil 1 medium beetroot for 45-50 minutes or until just cooked. Leave to cool.
Roast cut up vegetables, pumpkin or butternut, onions, parsnips, capsicums or just butternut to make 2 cups of Veg when cooked.

Filling:
Make a thick white sauce.
3 Tablespoons of white flour
3 Tablespoons of butter. Sizzle gently together then remove from heat.
Whisk in bit by bit
2 and1/2 cups of milk. Return to heat but stir or whisk continuously.
When bubbling gently and thick remove from heat and add 72g of grated or finely chopped smoked cheese. Stir until melted. Leave to cool. Add 1 beaten egg. Stir well.

These steps can all be done at various times and assembled just before cooking the tarts.

Fill pastry cases with mixture of vegetables and scatter the beetroot pieces. Sprinkle with pepper.
Smooth on the sauce to top each tart.
Bake in  middle of a preheated oven at 200C for 15-20 minutes for the medium sized tart and 15 for the small.

These are delicious — good enough to serve for a dinner party and vegetarian too.
Suggestions:
Serve with sautéed potatoes, French beans, broccoli, a large green salad.