Parsnip and Red Pepper Tarte Tatin

Full of vibrant colour, this upside-down tart makes an attractive centrepiece. Or you can make individual tarts using small flan dishes.

• Vegetarian

Preparation time :	30 minutes
Cooking time :	40 minutes
Total time :	1 hour 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ x 200g jar Sierra Rica Organic Chestnuts
150g plain flour
½ tsp salt
75g butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

For the topping:
2 tbsp olive oil
300g small parsnips, peeled and halved lengthways
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into strips
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and dry fry the chestnuts for 1-2 minutes, or until toasted. Allow to cool and chop coarsely.
2. Make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the toasted chestnuts and thyme. Add 2 tbsp very cold water and mix to a soft dough. Wrap in clingfilm and chill.
3. Heat the olive oil in a 23cm flameproof dish - a cast iron gratin dish or small frying pan with an ovenproof handle is ideal. Remove from the heat and arrange the parsnips cut-side down in the pan, fanning out from the centre and trimming the thin end to give a neat fit. Fill the gaps with strips of red pepper. Season. Drizzle with the honey and wine vinegar and cook over a medium to low heat for about 15 minutes, without turning the vegetables, until the parsnips are golden and tender.
4. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about the same diameter as the pan. Carefully lift the pastry onto the vegetables and press into place.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and cooked through. Remove the tarte tatin from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes. Invert a warm plate slightly larger than the pan over the top, carefully turn the pan over and ease it off the tarte tatin, making sure none of the vegetables stick. Serve.

Cook's tips

For vegans, use a dairy-free margarine in place of the butter in the pastry and soft brown sugar instead of honey for the parsnips.

You can assemble the tarte tatin up to a day before you need to cook it. Just make sure that the vegetables are cool before you place the pastry on top of them. Then cover and store in the fridge. Remove half an hour before cooking to allow it time to reach room temperature.