Beetroot & Sweet Potato Tart

For the tart crust:
Into the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer or food processor add the quinoa flour, spelt flour, tapioca starch, hazelnut flour, salt and pepper and pulse or mix until they are well combined. I used my KitchenAid and the round whisk attachment to make the crust. Begin slowly cutting in the chilled butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Once all of the butter is in, the mixture should have small beads the size of a pea. Begin adding the ice water a tablespoon at a time, continuing to mix until you’ve added it all. Once all of the water is well incorporated, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough just a few times. Press the dough into a thick disk shape, then wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to sit at least one hour in the refrigerator.

For the beet and sweet potato topping:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Wash and peel the beets and sweet potato. Cut them about ¼” to ½” thick. Drizzle them lightly with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some salt. Lay the pieces flat on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes, then check on the vegetables. The sweet potato should be about done. If this is the case, remove the sweet potato pieces from the pan and allow the beets to bake another 10 to 15 minutes. You want all veggies to be soft, but not crispy. Once the beets are ready, remove the pan from oven and set aside.

For the filling:
While the beets and sweet potato are roasting in the oven, heat the two tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 2 minutes before adding the garlic and fennel. Saute about 3 minutes before adding a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Wait until the vinegar is mostly absorbed and add another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Again, wait until mostly absorbed, another 4 or 5 minutes, and add the tablespoon of red wine. Continue to sauté until everything is soft and the liquid has almost completely evaporated and is coating the mixture. Set aside until you are ready to put everything together.

To assemble the tart:
Take the tart dough out of the refrigerator, unwrap it and transfer it to a floured work surface. Roll the dough into a circle shape about ¼” thick, making sure it’s the right size to fit over your tart dish. Note: You don’t put it into the dish yet. I didn’t have any extra dough and it all fit very nicely into an 8” tart dish. The recipe I followed said to refrigerate the dough again for another 30 minutes. I skipped this step. Prick the dough lightly with a fork and keep it on your work surface for a moment.

Heat the oven to 375 F. Lay the beet and sweet potato pieces in the bottom of the tart mold, ensure they’re tightly packed. Overlapping is perfectly acceptable and recommended so that the whole top of the tart will be covered with the beautiful roots. Spread the carmelized onion and fennel mixture evenly over the beet and sweet potato slices and press down with a fork. If you choose to add shredded cheese, sprinkle it over the onion mixture. Lay the tart dough on top of everything and use your fingers to ensure the dough is spread all the way to the edges of the tart mold. If you have extra dough, simply trim it off and make something wonderful with it later. Press down firmly on the dough to ensure all ingredients are nestled together. Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and flaky. Then remove from oven.

Allow the tart to cool about 15-20 minutes before inverting it onto a large serving plate. Use a sharp knife to cut slices.