Christmas isn’t Christmas without more brie than you can eat. On Boxing Day in my family, guests are invariably requested to take some of the brie home; and, invariably, everyone feels they’ve had quite enough, thank you. Save yourself from similar exchanges and make this easy, colourful tart with just a handful of readily available ingredients. It’s a celebratory enough main that you could serve it to guests, and cosy enough for a quiet evening in, with simply buttered spring greens or cabbage alongside, or just a green salad.
Carrot and brie tart
Ready-rolled puff pastry is a winner all-year round, but never more so than at Christmas. Look for all-butter puff: it makes such a difference in terms of flavour and texture that I’m considering bulk buying and freezing a few rolls to keep me stocked for the year ahead. This tart is lovely made with variously coloured miniature carrots, if you can find them; I like to leave the tops on, Peter Rabbit-style.
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
1 x 320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
2 scant tsp dijon mustard
200g brie, thinly sliced
250g baby carrots, halved lengthways
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 heaped tsp runny honey
A few sprigs fresh lemon thyme, leaves picked
Black pepper
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Unroll the pastry, then use a 23cm dinner plate as a template to cut out a big circle. Transfer the pastry to a baking tray, with the paper it came on still underneath, then spread it with the mustard, leaving a 2½cm border all around the edge. Neatly lay the brie slices on top, again avoiding the border and trimming them to make an approximate circle over the mustard.
Toss the halved carrots with the olive oil and salt, then arrange them on top of the cheese – you can be as creative as you like here (have a look at @lokokitchen on Instagram for inspiration on the arrangement), or just lay them evenly over the cheese. Drizzle over the honey, top with the thyme and some ground black pepper, then roast in the hot oven for 30 minutes. Serve the tart hot with a green salad alongside.
• Adapted from The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer (Vintage, £20). To buy a copy for £18.20, visit the Guardian bookshop.
Fiona Beckett’s drink pairing You could happily drink a light red with this, but I’d be inclined to go for a smooth, creamy white such as a soave or a South African chenin blanc: Tesco Finest Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2022 (£8.75, 13.5%) should do the trick.
