Red Beet 'n Pear Tarte

Upgrading from a simple veggie quiche, we're moving on to a slightly more decorative and artsy quiche version. This 'tarte' is not more difficult than the quiche but it surely adds a delightful element for on your dinner table.

For the Crust:

• 150g Flour

• 100g Butter

• 1 Egg

• Pinch of Salt

For the Filling:

• 2 small Red Beetroots

• 2 ripe Pears

• 200g Sour Cream (Schmand)

• 2 Eggs

• 200g Feta Cheese

• Handful of Walnuts

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, egg, and salt. Knead into a round ball of dough, leaving some visible spots of butter so that the crust get's nice and flaky later in the oven. Set to cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

2. Wash the beetroots. In a small cooking pot, bring some water to boil and cook the beets for 20-30 minutes until soft. When you can easily insert a thin knife, the beetroots are ready. Drain the beetroots and wash them off with cold water. Wrap the beets a kitchen paper, and gently rub off the peels. Cut the beets into thin slices.

3. Wash the pears and (optionally) peel them. Cut the pears in half length-wise and scoop out the seeds. Then, slice the pears into thin pieces, same thickness as the beets.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a pie dish. Take the dough from the fridge and roll out thinly on a surface sprinkled with flour. Place the dough in the pie dish and gently press it against the sides, folding in any excess dough. Poke the dough a few times using a fork and 'blind-bake' it for 5 minutes in the oven. Remove the crust from the oven.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and eggs. Add half of the feta cheese into the mixture.

6. Pour the sour cream mixture into the tarte crust and lay the beetroot and pear slices alternately on top, starting on the outside. Sprinkle the remaining feta cheese and walnuts over the top and bake the tarte for about 30 minutes in the oven. If you notice the tarte turning brown quite quickly, you can cover it with some aluminium foil. Once the tarte is no longer jiggly and has slight turned a golden brown, remove it from the oven and enjoy :D