Beetroot Tart

I never claim that any recipes are my original creation (how can any recipe be??!!) I generally recieve them from friends but I found this great Tart  on line.

This is a sweet-savoury tart. It looks good with purple beetroot, but even better if you alternate with golden beetroot. Thanks to info from Sarah Raven on Times online (UK)http://sarahraven.com/Serves 8 Makes 1 x 29cm tart



Ingredients
4 medium-sized beetroot (2 red, 2 golden, if possible)
2 large onions
Few sprigs of whole thyme
30g butter
splash of olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
150ml double cream
3 or 4 sprigs of thyme
A little grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper

For the pastry
200g plain flour
100g butter
Few sprigs of thyme, finely chopped
Flaky salt

For the horseradish cream
Grated horseradish
Double cream or crème fraîche
A little mustard powder
Lemon juice, to taste
Pinch of white pepper ,Salt

Method
Pastry:
Sift the flour with the thyme and salt and work in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.( you can use a food processor and pulse the mixture) Add just enough cold water for it to bind together as a dough. Roll out and line a 29cm flan dish. Put in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.
Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork. Bake blind for 20 min.

Filling:
Boil the beetroot in salted water until soft. Cool and peel. Then grate (keeping the two colours separate if you have them), on the coarse blade of a grater.

Finely chop and then gently fry the onions in a pan with butter (with a splash of olive oil) until the onions are translucent. Add the grated beetroot and thyme (if you have two colours, divide the onions and continue to cook in two separate pans). Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and cook gently for about 15 min to reduce and become syrupy.

Fill the pastry case with the beetroot mixture using different colours in segments. Mix the eggs, cream and nutmeg. Season and pour as much of this mixture as you can easily fit over the beetroot, scattering more thyme leaves over the top. Cook for 35 min until the top is brown.

While the tart is in the oven, make the horseradish cream.

Peel and grate the horseradish. If you want it very strong, grate it when you are ready to eat. It has highly volatile essential oils and so its strength will quickly fade — which is why you never want to cook it. It also discolours quickly, so mix it with the other ingredients immediately.

Add enough double cream (or crème fraîche) for a creamy consistency. Add a little mustard powder, white pepper and salt, and add lemon juice to taste. Serve with the tart.