I recently discovered the joy of tarte tatin.
Now I hear you thinking, you live in France half the time, how could you have missed tarte tatin?? Well, I didn’t miss it, I’ve ordered it many times for dessert when eating out. But, that’s always a tarte tatin with apple. The classic so to say. A very tasty classic (they don’t become classics for no reason!), but not a very interesting for me one as far as cooking goes. I was perfectly happy with eating a slice once in a while in restaurants.
That was until I made tarte tatin with prunes, and fell in love with how the fruit caramelized (what can I say? it’s caramel!) on the bottom of the tin. Combined with sweet, crusty dough was pure bliss. So we ate the whole (!!) pie the same day. 2 people, 1 pie, 1 day….That’s how good it was. 
And so I started thinking, what if I used the same principle (caramelizing something on the bottom of the tin, covered in pastry) for a savoury tarte tatin? Like, let’s say, a tarte tatin with carrots and goat cheese?
Carrots (with honey) caramelize just as delicious as their fruity counterparts. The goat cheese, thyme and puff pastry made sure it stayed a savoury pie, perfect for lunch or dinner. I like to serve this tarte tatin with a big green salad, for balance in flavor (a sour vinaigrette works well with the sweetness of the carrots).
Print
Caramelized Carrot and Goat Cheese Tarte Tatin
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Caramelized carrots with goat cheese and thyme are tucked into a skillet beneath a layer of pastry dough and baked to create a beautiful upside down tart.
Ingredients
- Carrots, 6, scraped and cut in half, lengthwise (you want to keep the full length of the carrots)
- Butter, 50 gr (1/4 cup)
- Honey, 1 tsp
- Salt, pinch
- Goat cheese, 30 gr (1/8 cup) + a bit extra to garnish
- Fresh thyme leaves, 1 tsp + extra to garnish
- Puff pastry, 1 roll of ready to use pastry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 C / 390 F
- Place the halved carrots in a mould (traditionally a round one)
- Melt the butter in a pan, on low heat
- Add the honey and the salt, leave to boil for two minutes
- Pour over the carrots
- Crumble the goat cheese over the carrots and sprinkle with thyme
- Take the pastry and place in on top, it must fully cover the carrots
- Tuck it in, like a blanket, if you have to much excess pastry, cut it off with a knife
- Using a fork, punch a few holes in the pastry (to let the hot steam escape) and bake for 30 minutes
- Take out of the oven, let cool off a bit and gently turn the mould over to release the pie
- Garnish with fresh thyme and some extra goat cheese
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: French
Frequently Asked Questions
Why tuck the pastry around the carrots rather than laying it flat?
Tucking the pastry in like a blanket seals the edges so the honey-butter caramel stays under the carrots and doesn’t bubble out during the 30-minute bake. Any excess pastry should be trimmed with a knife before the fork-prick step.
Why add the balsamic vinegar carefully when making the caramel?
When you stir butter and an acidic liquid into hot caramel it seizes and forms hard, crunchy sugar lumps. Add them off the heat first, then return the pan to low heat and stir until the caramel melts back into a smooth glaze before adding the carrots.
Can I use pre-made puff pastry?
Yes, one roll of ready-to-use puff pastry is exactly what I call for here. Just make sure it fully covers all 6 halved carrots in the mould before tucking and trimming.
What salad works best alongside this tarte tatin?
A big green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is my go-to. The sourness cuts straight through the honey-butter sweetness of the carrots and keeps the meal balanced.
