PARTNER POST: Get ready to feed a holiday crowd with appetizer recipes paired perfectly with food-friendly Cavit wines.
These pickled beet and goat cheese tarts are a quick and gorgeous appetizer, perfect for the holidays as well as for any other winter celebration. Loaded with veggies, it’s the perfect bite to kick off your clean eating in the new year.
The holidays are almost here… and along with them a festive meal with family and friends. Appetizers are a must! Especially the kind that can be prepared in almost no time, leaving us free to take care of the main and side dishes. This time we whipped up some easy and delish Pickled Beet Goat Cheese Tartlets. They are a feast for the eyes, don’t you think?!
Yet they are super simple to make. These are basically made from store-bought puff pastry, a mixture of goat and cream cheeses, jarred pickled beets, golden tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and tarragon.
All one has to do is to cut the puff pastry into rounds using a cookie cutter, place them into a muffin tin, and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool and fill with a mixture prepared with cream cheese, goat cheese, seasonings, heavy cream, and chopped tarragon.
Then, garnish with jarred pickled beets, golden tomatoes, herbs, toasted pine nuts and boiled eggs if desired. You see… easy peasy!
They feature contrasting textures (flaky from the puff pastry, creamy from the cheese mixture, and crunchy from the nuts)… as well as contrasting flavors. You will be delighted by the sweet and sour from the pickled beets, nutty pine nuts, peppery flavor from the tarragon, and salty from the cream cheese mixture. I am telling you, they are one unforgettable starter!
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They make the perfect pair for Cavit Pinot Grigio, a white wine from northern Italy. Just like other Cavit Trentino wines, the Pinot Grigio featured today is crafted with quality, honoring its region. And an added bonus is that it is affordable. That’s right! It costs about $8 a bottle.
With a balanced character, bright straw gold color, appealing aroma and citrus flavors, this Pinot Grigio pairs well with many of the ingredients present in our Pickled Beet Goat Cheese Tartlets, especially the tarragon, pine nuts, and goat cheese.
Enjoy it well chilled, together with our gorgeous and delicious tartlets… and experience the magic of the giving season!
I can already envision a gorgeous table set up and many loved ones with warm smiles, all enjoying a feast, presents, and holiday cheer–everything that makes this season so special! And all of us raising a toast with our delicious Pinot Grigio.
I can also see us all making use of these Pickled Beet Goat Cheese Tartlets well beyond the holiday season. It will become one of those recipes that you can always count on it… an ace up your sleeve. Any party or celebration will be the perfect time!
For another easy holiday appetizer, try these trout bites. Recipe here.
Print
- Yield: 12 tartlets 1x
Ingredients
- 1 17.3 oz package puff pastry (or 2 sheets), thawed
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1 4 oz creamy goat cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream or plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 sprig fresh tarragon (leaves finely chopped)
- 1 16 oz jar of pickled beets, drained
- 12 mini golden tomatoes
- 3 boiled eggs (quartered (optional))
- 2–3 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- Fresh tarragon or baby arugula to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured surface, cut puff pastry into rounds using a 3¼” cookie cutter. Place each round into a regular-size 12-muffin tin. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool! They will look like bread rolls. Once cooled, twist off the top of each carefully to make them into cupped tart shells. You can invert the twisted off tops and use them as additional tart shells if desired.
- Meanwhile, place cream cheese, goat cheese, heavy cream, salt, pepper, sugar, and tarragon into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat all together until obtaining a creamy, homogeneous mixture. Spoon into the tartlets and smooth with the back of a spoon.
- Place beets onto a cutting board and cut each slice in half. Garnish Pickled Goat Cheese Tartlets as seen in the pictures or as desired (use the pickled beets, golden tomatoes, quartered boiled eggs, toasted pine nuts, and tarragon leaves or baby arugula). Enjoy!
- Category: Appetizer
