I came across this Christmas carrot recipe competition whilst on the train to London reading Niamh Shields blog Eat Like A Girl.  A carrot tarte tatin came to mind almost immediately and I spent the rest of the journey peacefully watching the fields and imagining how to cook it and what it would taste like.  

I've only had one go, so it's a work in progress with room for improvements but is an absolutely delicious first attempt and feels like a surprisingly decadent and Christmassy way to eat the humble carrot. 

According to legend, the tarte tatin was born when a hot and bothered cook accidentally burned the apples and butter she was preparing for a pie.  She quickly put the pastry base on top, finished  cooking it and turned the whole thing over.  The surprised guests loved it so much it became the dish of the hotel.

Another version goes that she dropped the apple tart upside down on the kitchen floor.  Either way, it seems the first ever tarte tatin was a rescue mission by a rushing cook, and I can relate to that.  I think one of the things that makes a chef is his or her ability to work at speed without smashing stuff, burning things or dropping flour bombs on the floor.  

Here's how I made my carrot tarte tatin.

I used a 9 inch pie dish.  

Thinly slice 1 1/2  lb of medium sized carrots ( I used a mandolin).  Next time I might try slicing them lengthways so that I can get creative laying them out in the dish.  This  would be really pretty with chanteray carrots.

Warm some olive oil in a large frying pan and when it's hot, put in a tbs of mustard seeds, give them a quick stir and wait for them to start popping.

I'd like to experiment with other seeds.  

The mustard seeds once popped are nice and nutty but quite a subtle flavour.

Add the carrots and some salt to taste, stir and sautée them for about 10 minutes.  Take them off the heat and put to one side.

Meanwhile fry 5 thinly sliced shallots in a little oil until they are very soft, add 3 chopped anchovies ( or 3 tsp veg stock powder if you are cooking for veggies) and cook for another couple of minutes until they melt in to the mixture.

Put these to one side and deglaze the pan with a tbs sherry vinegar and pour it over the carrots.

For the caramel, melt 4 tbs sugar and 2tbs water in a small heavy pan.  When the sugar has all dissolved completely, bring it to the boil.  (Once it's boiling don't stir it and don't let it boil before the sugar has melted.  As long as you don't do either of those things, it will be fine).  When the sugar starts to caramel and turn a lovely amber colour, add 2 tsp of sherry vinegar.  

Immediately pour it into the base of the pie dish and working quickly, roll the dish so that it coats the bottom. Leave it to cool for a minute or two then spread over the shallot layer, pile the carrots on and press them down then top with a circle of puff pastry.  Tuck it in around the sides of the carrots, remembering that it will be served upside down.  I'd like to try putting the onions on top of the carrots so that they form a layer next to the pastry and the carrots are exposed in all their glory.  My finished dish looked scrumptious but might be more spectacularly carrotty with the onion layer tucked away.

Glaze the pastry with a little milk or egg wash and bake in a pre-heated oven (gas 5, 190C) for half and hour or until the pastry is cooked.  Leave it to cool a for a minute then turn it out onto a plate. 

I served it with a little fresh goats cheese.  The salty savouriness goes well with the sweet carrots.   I garnished it with mint but to be honest, it didn't work. Parsley would have been much better and if i'd had more time, I'd have toasted some more mustard seeds to sprinkle over for extra nuttiness.

Yum