Serves 2

A sophisticated, delightful starter to set the mood for the evening. This classic combination of beetroot and goat’s cheese is served up in a homemade mini pastry case, sure to impress your loved one.

1 TB olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
leaves picked from 3 thyme sprigs
salt
store-bought ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 cooked beetroot
60g soft goat’s cheese
2 TB balsamic vinegar
2 TB honey
1 TB snipped chives
baby salad leaves, to dress

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onions until completely softened and caramelised. This could take quite a while (approx. 15-20 minutes). Once golden and caramelised, stir in the thyme leaves and season with salt.

In the meantime, cut out circles from the puff pastry and press into 2 greased mini, loose-bottomed tart tins (10cn diameter; 2 cm high), pressing firmly in all corners and sides. Trim the pastry from the top edges to neaten. Poke little holes in the base with a fork, then scrunch up two small squares of parchment paper (large enough to cover the bottom of the tart bases) and place on top of the raw pastry. Cover the parchment with baking beans or raw rice. Place the tarts in the oven for 15 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool a little. Once the paper and beans are cool enough to handle, remove them from the pastry cases. At this time, you can slip the cooked tart cases out of their tins and onto a baking tray.

Brush the edges lightly with the whisked egg yolk and spread the caramelised onion-thyme mixture onto the base of the cooked tarts. Slice the beetroot using a sharp knife and cover the onions with beetroot slices. Cover the beetroot with crumbled goat’s cheese and return to the oven for 10 minutes to warm the through.

While the tarts are warming through, place the balsamic vinegar and honey into a small pan and reduce to a thick glaze over medium heat. This does not take long (approx. 3-4 min, so keep your eye on it!)

Once the tarts are ready, remove from the oven and transfer onto two plates. Drizzle over the reduction and dress each tart with snipped chives and baby salad leaves.

TIP: You may only need to use ¾ of the rolled puff pastry. Wrap up the remainder, label and store in the freezer - you never know when you may need scraps to decorate the top of tart in the future.