Beetroot & Whipped Feta Mini Tarts

I had something similar to these in a restaurant called Kirwans in Galway (Ireland) and really enjoyed them. I promised to try and recreate them and so here is my version. I made them recently for a get together that I had and they were a hit. You can make the components ahead of time so that they are ready to assemble before people arrive.

Makes 8 Tarts

Ingredients

Beetroot Hummus (based off a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe)

6 medium beetroots, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 small garlic cloves, minced

1 small chilli, minced

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 cup of plain Greek yoghurt

1 tsbp. Za'atar

Salt and pepper to season

Pesto

Bunch of basil

75ml olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

50g parmesan cheese, grated

Salt & pepper

40g of toasted pine nuts

Whipped feta

150g feta or goat's cheese in oil (I love Meredith Valley goat's cheese, it's super soft and creamy)

150g cream cheese

8 mini pre-made mini tartlets cases

50g chopped hazelnuts

Method

1. Pre-heat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius. In an oven proof dish, add the beetroot, vinegar(s) and olive oil and bake until soft, approximately 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

2. Blitz the cooled beets and all of the remaining hummus ingredients in a blender and spoon into a bowl.

3. You are going to need the blender again, so clean it out now. Add in all the pesto ingredients and blitz until it's pretty well blended. If it gets too thick, you can add some more oil or water. Just check the taste to see if you need to add more cheese or basil. Spoon into a bowl.

4. Once again, clean out your blender ready for the next step. Add the cream cheese and feta/goat's cheese and blend until smooth.

5. You are now ready to assemble. Start with a spoon of the beetroot hummus in the bottom of the tart case, then a spoon of the pesto and finally a spoon of the whipped feta. You can spread the whipped feta with a hot butter knife. You will need to be careful not to mix the other layers in. If you want to be fancy, you can add the whipped feta to a piping bag and pipe the cheese onto the top. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and you're golden. Repeat the process for the remaining tarts.