If you’ve had a good look round this blog, you’ll notice lots of little food. I’m a big fan. This is such a brilliant recipe. You can have it in the pastry cases as I’ve described below or simply as a little salad inside a leaf of gem lettuce or on top of some parchment bread or a toasted slice of rye or sourdough.
You’ll need
For the pastry
- 200g plain flour, sifted
- 100g cold unsalted butter, diced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large free-range egg
- Half tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp iced cold water
- butter, for greasing
For the filling
- 250g cooked baby beetroot
- 1 small tub of mascarpone
- half bunch dill
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 8 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper to your taste
Equipment
- A food processor
- 2 x 12 hole tart trays
To make them
- First make the pastry cases. You can make these a few days in advance or weeks in advance and freeze.
- Place the flour, butter and salt into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Beat the lemon juice, egg and cold water together in a small jug and with the motor running and slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture until it comes together to form a dough. You might not need all the mixture.
- Take the dough out of the processor and knead it very lightly on a floured surface. Wrap the dough ball in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease two 12-hole tart tin with butter.
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured work surface and using a fluted edge 7.5cm/3in biscuit cutter, cut out 12 circles .
- Gently place the pastry circles into the holes in the tart tin, prick with a fork and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown.
- To make the filling chop the baby beetroot into little cubes and place them in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Chop the dill finely and set aside.
- Make some simple vinaigrette dressing by mixing up the olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a little whisk or in a clean jam jar and shaking it together.
- Pour the dressing over the beetroot, add the dill and mix it all up.
- Season to suit your tastebuds with the salt and pepper and give it another mix through.
- When the pastry cases are cooled, spoon of pipe in a little blob of the mascarpone, spoon over some beetroot on top and garnish with a little more dill or even some toasted pine nuts
If you are not going to be eating these right away, you can serve these on a platter with the mascarpone and beetroot in bowls so people can self assemble. This will prevent the pastry cases getting soggy. Also try this method with fresh plum tomatoes and basil or roasted squash and coriander. I’ve created a recipe using puff pastry too – Herby Courgette Canape Puffs for another quick canapé idea.