food to glow

Normal orange supermarket carrots are of course fine here, and feel free to change out the pleasantly pungent taleggio cheese for fruity, buttery fontina, crumbly, lemony goat’s cheese, gooey, mild mozzarella, or – if vegan – skip the cheese all together. I have ditched the usual vinegar-tinged caramel sauce for thick balsamic vinegar, but here is a recipe from Donna Hay using the more usual method. My carrot tarte tatin recipe is easily doubled, or adjusted to the pan you wish to use. I used a 10″ cast iron skillet.

This would make a glorious holiday vegetarian or vegan main course or, sliced more thinly, an appetizer or starter.

500g rainbow or orange carrots, scrubbed and lightly peeled

3 tbsp best quality (and thick) balsamic vinegar, divided use

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Good pinch of salt and pepper

25g butter (just under 2 tbsp) or coconut oil

4 tbsp water

2 tsp fine sugar, optional (I didn’t use)

75g hazelnuts or cobnuts, toasted and chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

200g taleggio cheese (see header note), chopped into pieces

1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (vegan or all-butter)

You will need: a heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet or small rectangular cake tin; 1 baking sheet

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F.

Slice the carrots into even pieces about 1 inch thick. Mix together 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar, the oil and the mustard in a medium bowl, add the carrots, salt and pepper, and mix well to coat. Slide these onto the baking sheet, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

During the last few minutes of the carrots baking/steaming, place the butter in the skillet and put the skillet in the oven. Remove the skillet when the butter is bubbling and pour in the remaining vinegar, sugar if using, and the water, mix quickly with a whisk or wooden spoon.

Place the carrots, cut side down, on the buttery syrup, dot on the cheese, and sprinkle over the hazelnuts and thyme. Lay over the pastry, cutting to fit the shape of your chosen pan. It doesn’t need to be big enough to cover the pan’s diameter. Now tuck the edges of the pastry around the carrots, like you are tucking in a toddler – cosy. I deliberately don’t pack the carrots into the edge of the skillet so that I can tuck the pastry without everything sticking to the side of the pan. It seems less messy this way once the whole thing is upended, tarte tatin style.

Bake the carrot tarte tatin in the oven for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden and risen in flaky layers. Use a spatula to carefully loosen the sticky underneath before placing a large serving plate over top and carefully inverting. Serve with extra thyme leaves and chopped hazelnuts if you wish.

Suggested to go with Creamed Kale or Celeriac Remoulade.