Food Porn: Beet & Feta Tart

[Above: beet & feta PIE, more like!]

Long time, no porn, right? This evening, Ms. Art and I made a beet & feta tart. It was pretty delicious, and I would suggest you give it a shot. Also of note: How freakishly unnatural is a beet's color? It kind of reminds me of those terrifying "crunchy flamin' hot" Cheetos, except, you know, beets come out of the ground and are actually good for you. Anyway, where were we? I should probably let Ms. Art take it from here...

...Oh, hi. Ms. Art here. He's right, it was more like beet & feta pie, because we don't own a tart pan. Tarts and pies are like identical twins that looked absurdly alike as kids but then once they hit puberty, it turned out one was much prettier than the other and also good at cheerleading. Sorry, pie. Everything evens out once you're in college, promise.

We also don't own pie weights. My birthday's in July, y'all. Dried beans work fine, and anyway dried chickpea pie is delicious. A little on the crunchy side, and you'll want to drink lots of water.

[Above: Oh, you'll eat it. You'll eat it and LIKE it.]

So anyway, beet & feta pie! This is a recipe from Orangette; hers is prettier. Okay, tarts, we get it.

I didn't make too many changes; I used Martha's pastry recipe, as recommended, but subbed in white whole wheat flour, which is lighter in flavor and texture than regular whole wheat flour and just as nutritious. I also used an extra beet & added in the greens, too.

Beet & Feta Tart. Pie. Whatever.

1 half-recipe Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée without sugar
3 medium-sized red beets
3 medium-sized beets' worth of beet greens, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
¾ cup skim milk
5 oz feta, crumbled
Salt & cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Wash your beets and wrap them in a cozy foil packet. Roast for 45-60 minutes, until very tender. Allow to cool, then rub off the peels and slice the beets into 1/4" thick slices.

Meanwhile, prepare your pie crust. Refrigerate until the beets are almost done roasting, then roll out and arrange in your pie plate (or tart pan, should you be so well-equipped as all that). Line with foil and add your pie weights or dried beans; bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Also meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium heat, with a little oil, if you like. Add your beet greens and 1/4 cup water. Stir until wilted, but still bright green. Put aside.

And ALSO meanwhile (beets take a long time to roast, you can really get a lot done), whisk together your eggs, milk, feta, salt, and pepper.

Time to assemble! Take your blind-baked crust (you can take the chickpeas out now) and spread the cooked greens on the bottom. Layer in the sliced beets; Orangette recommends keeping it to one layer, but my pie version had about three. Pour the egg mixture over top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so, until the filling is set. Allow to rest for ten minutes, then slice & serve.

[Above: That's that finished product, shawty.]