Beet This!

My love for beets has been a development.

I ate one years ago and I thought it tasted like dirt, so I stayed away from them for a very long time...

actually, it wasn't until I grew them in our garden myself that my perspective shifted...

Call me narcissistic. 

But, enough about me...

I found this recipe in a magazine (I think it was Country Living?! Help if you know!?),

however, I adapted it to my liking. 

I love the balance of lemon juice with the earthiness of the beets, so I amped up the acid, added a little spice, and changed the recommended goat cheese to blue...

because I hate goat cheese...

but that is your call...

And I know it is obnoxious when bloggers say things like "this is so easy...blah blah blah"....

...but this is actually so easy.

And so delicious.

Recipe:
Makes 6 tartlets


Ingredients:
3 red beets and 3 golden beets; roasted, peeled and sliced (toss them in oil and bake them in the oven at 375 for about 30 minutes or until you can poke them easily with a fork...let them cool...peel, slice)

Six squares of frozen puff pastry shell
The zest from one lemon
The juice from 1/2 a lemon
crushed red pepper
Blue cheese, crumbled (or goat cheese, crumbled)
Olive oil
s/p

Steps:
1. Roast, peel and slice your beets. 
2. Toss the beets in the lemon juice, s/p and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
3. Remove the pastry from the freezer and cut into squares
4. Top the pastry squares with the beets. 
5. Sprinkle the cheese and the lemon zest over the tarts 
6. Bake at 375 until the puff pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
7. Assemble the tarts on a platter and drizzle with olive oil and more lemon juice

Enjoy!

I cannot wait to experiment more with this recipe!

I am thinking balsamic reduction...piave cheese instead of blue...

Roasted red peppers or poblanos with the beets perhaps?!

The addition of herbs!?

I could go on and on!

What do you guys think?!?

Any recommendations!?