5 medium beetroots
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 tablespoons Chelsea Demerara Sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 french shallots, peeled and cut in half
1 sheet butter puff pastry, frozen
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 200C (fan forced oven).
Wash the beetroot, cut their tops and tails, and place on a large piece of foil. Drizzle them with the olive oil and then add a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the foil up so that the beetroot is enclosed in the foil, place the foil on a baking tray and pop in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until the beets are just soft.
Allow the beetroot to cool for 10 minutes before removing their skin and slicing them into 1.5cm thick slices. Place to the side.
In a 19cm ovenproof frypan or skillet, heat the demerara sugar over a medium heat until it begins to melt, then add the butter and balsamic vinegar. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 3 minutes or until it thickens a little.
Increase the heat again to a medium heat, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until they become lovely and fragrant. Add the beetroot slices and gently stir them about with a wooden spoon until they are well covered in the sauce. Cook it all for a further 3 minutes or so until the liquid reduces to a thick syrup. Turn the heat off and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Take out the butter puff pastry sheet from the freezer and allow it to thaw while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Arrange the beetroot slices in a spiral manner, overlapping them slightly as you go. They are quite soft by now so it is important that you handle the slices gently so they don’t break apart. The shallots can act as fillers between the beetroot – they look so beautiful in this tart!
Cut the pastry in a 24cm round and place it over the beetroot and shallots, tucking the edges of the pastry into the side of the pan. This forms the delicious edging to the tarte tatin so it’s completely normal for the pastry to be a little on the thick side of the pan compared to the section of pastry in the middle covering the beets. Prick the base of the pastry 5 times with a fork to allow steam to escape during cooking and place the pan in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are gorgeously puffy and a golden brown colour.
Remove from the oven and allow the tarte tatin to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting it onto the serving plate. Allow it to set for at least 20 minutes before serving. This dish is beautiful with a little feta and mint or rocket leaves scattered over the top however if you would like the beautiful pattern on top of the tart to shine, it is best served plain with a green salad on the side.