Parsnip, Feta and Shallot Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

1 ready-rolled butter pie crust (or homemade)*

3 medium parsnips, cut in half lengthwise

2 small carrots, cut in half lengthwise

4 shallots, halved

¼ cup (50g) unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

100g feta cheese, crumbled

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (+ extra for serving)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

PRINT RECIPE

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 30cm tart dish with butter. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan placed over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the shallots, and gently stir-fry for about 5 minutes, turning from time to time until just beginning to brown.
Add the sugar, balsamic vinegar, and cook for a further 5 minutes, moving and shaking the pan occasionally so the shallots do not stick to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the halved parsnips and carrots to the bottom of the tart dish, face down, so they make a pretty pattern when you will later invert the tart. Add the caramelized shallots in the remaining holes, then pour the balsamic reduction over the vegetables.
Add feta cheese on top and sprinkle fresh thyme all over.
Lift the crust over the filling and tuck down the sides of the dish. Make two small slits for the steam to escape.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is well risen. Leave to stand for five minutes. Cover the dish with a plate, invert, then remove the dish, leaving the tart now on the plate. Sprinkle additional black pepper and serve warm, with a side of lettuce.

* For homemade pie crust you will need 100g diced unsalted butter, 1 ⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour, 1 pinch of salt, 5 Tablespoons cold water. Mix all the ingredients until they stick together and form a ball. Roll out the dough into a large disk, leaving a border a little larger than the tart dish.