The inspiration for this Roasted Beet and Feta Tart comes from a Norwegian recipe web site* that I occasionally check for ideas. I was attracted to the accompanying photo of a deep red and yellow tart, and the fact that it included beets, a beloved vegetable, and feta, a flavorsome cheese.
I have cooked with both ingredients many times but never in this combination. Several years ago, I wrote a blog about using roasted and pickled beets with fresh goat cheese in two refreshing spring salads.** The sweet earthiness of beets and the saltiness of feta are naturally synergistic in salads, but this recipe presented a good opportunity to test this composition in a custardy tart.
As I was buying the ingredients for this tart, I thought that feta was a generic name of a cheese used in Greek cooking and that only one kind was sold under different brands. I was ready to grab the first feta I saw in the store as I have done many times when I discovered an assortment of “fetas” on the shelf. As I perused this selection, I noticed that the characteristics of each feta were significantly different. While each feta varied from white to ivory in color, they ranged in hardness from soft to semi-hard. I wondered if it would make a difference which I used in the tart. Goat or sheep milk or cow milk? Dry and salty? Creamy or firm? American? Greek? Bulgarian? French? Danish? The recipe was silent on which feta to use. So, I decided to learn more about feta.
Although its origins are uncertain, food historians conclude that feta is one of the oldest cheeses in the world, probably discovered in Crete approximately 8,000 years ago when goat or sheep milk curdled as it was transported in sheep or goat stomachs. A precursor white cheese is even mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. At some point in time feta, which means “slice” in Greek, was cut up in blocks and stored in brine-filled barrels, probably to delay spoilage which also added flavor—a tradition still practiced today.
Over centuries, the manufacture of feta spread from Greece to the Balkans and other countries along the Mediterranean throughout the former Ottoman Empire. In the 20th century, the mass emigration of Greeks to Europe and North America expanded feta’s reach. Consequently, feta cheese spread to nearly every major market in the world and now enjoys an internationally recognizable name. Because of its ubiquity, the word feta is a generic name for many consumers for different types of white, crumbly cheese stored in brine.
I decided to taste test three types of feta found in my local store: Greek, French and American. Here is what I learned about each:
Greek feta, aka the original feta made from sheep and goat milk, packed in brine, is salty, tangy, sharp and moist. Greek feta is loosely formed with large holes and is sold usually after two or three months of aging by which time it develops a unique aroma, flavor, consistency. When crumbled, it becomes milky and creamy.
Greek feta has an exclusive status in Europe. After decades of feta’s treatment as a generic cheese, Greece applied to the European Commission in 1996 to include feta on the register of protected designations of origin (PDO). Sixteen years of heated debate among member countries of the European Union ensued, and litigation brought by dairy giants like Germany, Denmark and France and their versions of white, brined cheese resulted with the EU’s highest court finally awarding Greece exclusivity of the name “feta” with the status of “protected designation of origin” (PDO).
Thus, since 2005 in Europe, the name feta is not generic and only can be applied to cheese produced exclusively in nine Greek regions following traditional methods with an official composition.*** No imitations are allowed in Europe under the feta name. The tight restrictions placed on its production recognize that true feta is the result of geographical factors unique to Greece which affect sheep and goats, including the time of year it is produced and whether the milk came from animals eating clover, grains or wild grasses.
European PDO appellation, however, does not apply to non-EU countries and does not affect how stores in the United States sell domestic or feta-style cheese imported from non-EU countries. As a result, the name feta continues to be used generically worldwide, adding to consumer confusion.
French feta-style cheese is produced from sheep’s milk byproduct of Roquefort production. Its blocks are densely formed but mild, creamy, less briny, less sharp with a softer texture than Greek feta.
American feta-style cheese, produced primarily in Wisconsin from cow’s milk, is quite dry, with a slightly sour taste, but milder flavor than other feta varieties.
I sampled each of the three cheeses with a slice of roasted beet and decided that authentic Greek feta was the proper ingredient for this Roasted Beet and Feta Tart. Norway, although not a member of the EU, trades with other EU countries and imports feta from Greece. Thus, it is logical that the recipe’s creator intends Greek feta.
I provide a translation of the Roasted Beet and Feta Tart recipe as it appeared on the Norwegian webpage with minor modifications in the cooking technique. However, certain shortcuts can be taken to expedite preparation. First, even though beets are easy to roast, starting with raw beets is unnecessary. Roasted and peeled beets in vacuum-sealed packages can be purchased in most grocery stores under various brands which eliminate one step. Second, the beets can be grated and refrigerated overnight. Third, the tart crust, which takes a few minutes to make in a food processor, can also be made several days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.
I am pleased with my choice of Greek feta. This Roasted Beet and Feta Tart deliciously balances sweet and savory tastes. Roasted beets flavored with syrupy balsamic vinegar add a velvety, sweet texture to the tart without strong acidity. When baked in the custard, salty and tangy Greek feta smooths out to a mellow taste, enhancing the tart with a beautiful, fresh richness. When accompanied by a crisp salad with a lemony vinaigrette, this Roasted Beet and Feta Tart makes an excellent lunch or starter.
Roasted Beet and Feta Tart, adapted from www.matprat.no
For tart crust:
7 ounces (200 g) all-purpose flour
3.5 ounces (100 g) butter, cold cut in cubes
3 tablespoons (½ dl) ice cold water
For filling:
18 ounces (500 g) beets, home roasted or purchased
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, small, finely diced
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
5.3 ounces (150 g) feta cheese
4 eggs
6 ¾ ounces (2 dl) heavy cream
(If using purchased roasted beets, proceed to grating the beets.)
Preparing beets: Pre-heat oven to 390°F (200°C). Remove beet leaves. Clean and scrub beets.
Place beets in an oven safe dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour or until beets are tender when easily pierced with a fork or toothpick. Remove beets from oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes or until cool enough to comfortably handle.
Using paper towels or wearing plastic gloves, rub off beet skins and slice and discard beet ends. If the skin does not rub off easily, peel the skin with a vegetable peeler.
Grate beets coarsely and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Set aside. (Beets can be roasted and grated a day or so ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.)
Preparing pastry crust: Put flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Quickly add water and pulse until the dough forms a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. If dough is refrigerated, remove dough 1 hour before baking.
Heat oven to 390°F (200°C).
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a round disk about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thickness. Butter an 8-9 inch (22 cm) diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Move dough into the tart pan and trim the edges. Prick dough at the bottom with a fork.
Cover dough with parchment paper and fill it with dry beans or pie weights.
Place tart pan in middle of the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes until dough is set. Remove parchment paper and weights. Bake crust for another 5 minutes until the bottom starts to color. Set aside to cool.
Preparing filling: Dice red onion. Heat butter in frying pan and fry onion on low heat until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Place grated beets, balsamic vinegar, thyme and brown sugar in a frying pan. Cook over low heat stirring constantly for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates. (The beet mixture should almost be dry.) Season with pepper. (Additional salt is not needed if feta is salty.) Set aside to cool.
Assembling tart: Spread beets and onion over the tart bottom, saving a few tablespoons of beets for garnish.
Crumble feta and sprinkle randomly over the beets.
Whisk eggs and cream together and ladle over the feta and beets.
Lower oven temperature to 360°F (180°C) and carefully place tart in the middle of oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the filling is set, starting to turn golden and slightly puffed up above the pastry case. Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan.
Garnish tart with reserved beets and thyme sprigs. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with a green salad.
Serves 8
**http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/spring-beet-salads-two-variations-on-a-theme/
***Greece’s feta producing regions are West Macedonia, Central Macedonia, East Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, Peloponnese, and the department of Lesbos, an island in the northeastern Aegean Sea. By law Greek feta must have the following composition: 70% sheep’s milk, 30% goat’s milk, 52.9 % moisture with 26.2 percent fat, 16.7 percent proteins, 2.9 percent salt and 4.4 percent pH.
One year ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/spicy-rice-cakes-pork-vegetables/
Two years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/baked-cheese-babka/
Three years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/grilled-vegetable-humus-black-pepper-olive-oil-tart/
Four years ago: http://www.kitchenepiphanies.com/chicken-with-olives/