Beet & Blue Cheese Tart

Hello, feelings of fall. You greeted me with a rainy, cool mid-September Sunday.

And I greeted you with a warm and savory beet and blue cheese tart. 

First I lined the pan with roasted beets, still slightly warm, their deep red staining my cutting board and fingers.

Then I poured on the blue cheese filling. Thick, fresh blue cheese. It smelled pungent and wonderful.

 

Those earthy beets balanced the flavor of the blue cheese with a tender sweetness, like bright sunshine does when it brings warmth to a brisk and cool fall day. 

As it baked, there were incredible smells of sugary pastry and buttery cheese.

The beets had gotten warm and perfectly tender while they hid, nestled underneath a piping-hot blanket of perfectly golden crust.

When I sliced the first slice, I felt myself transition...

... I felt myself slide into the months ahead, with their crisp sunshine and brightly falling leaves.
Slowly, gently, and deliciously with every bite.

Beet and Blue Cheese Tart:
Ingredients:
1 sheet prepared pastry crust or homemade crust
2 medium to large beets, peeled and roasted in olive oil until tender
8 oz. fresh quality blue cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup 1%)
1 t. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9" tart pan, then lay the pastry filling inside and up the edges, pressing to even out the top edges. Next, slice the beets into 1/4 inch slices and line the bottom of the tart to cover completely, overlapping where necessary. Then, combine the eggs, cheese, milk, and salt in a bowl and pour over the beets. Place tart in the oven and bake for approx. 40 minutes or until evenly golden and bubbly.