This light and vibrant maple-glazed carrot phyllo tart is ready in just 20 mins and makes a showstopping vegetarian appetizer or main to share.
There's something so satisfying about savoury tarts. Requiring only very little effort, this maple-glazed carrot phyllo tart is definitely one of my favourite recipes to make when hosting a party.
A large savoury tart is easy to put together in minutes and can feed up to 8-10 people, making it a perfect appetizer for the upcoming Christmas holiday parties.
Preparing this maple-glazed carrot phyllo tart is a total breeze and takes just 20 mins start to finish.
Even better, you only need 8 simple ingredients including:
- phyllo pastry sheets
- fresh ricotta cheese
- homemade pesto
- rainbow carrots
- maple syrup
- aromatic herbs
The best part of this pretty-looking tart is that you can easily customize it with your favourite carrots, crust or cheese.
I was lucky enough to find a great variety of rainbow carrots at the market, but if you have a hard time looking for purple or red carrots, just go with regular orange ones.
o matter the colour, carrots are all delicious and packed with healthy benefits, including loads of vitamins and antioxidants.
I love using phyllo pastry, it gives a nice crunchy texture to every recipe, whilst being very light and airy.
Plus, it bakes so much faster than traditional shortcrust or puff pastry.
Of course, it's preferable to make your own phyllo , especially because you can adapt it to your dietary requirements (e.g. gluten-free). But otherwise, you can always cheat and use a pre-made good-quality phyllo pastry.
Just make sure the ingredients list doesn't include any nasty additives.
The filling is my go-to herby ricotta. It’s creamy, aromatic, herby and so delicious.
A spoon (or two) of homemade pesto adds extra vibrant and refreshing flavours.
For a different taste, you can easily swap ricotta for goat cheese, or mix together the two kinds of cheese.
Same goes for to pesto, as much as I like the traditional basil version, you can easily opt for rocket, broccoli or red pepper pesto, just to name a few.
How To Make Carrot Phyllo Tart
To make this mouthwatering and light maple-glazed carrot phyllo tart, you don't need any particular equipment or skills. Just 20 mins of your time and 8 main ingredients.
Start with the phyllo sheets, three will be more than enough. Lightly brush each sheet with a little extra virgin olive oil, then use to line your tart tin, overlapping the sheets.
When you get to the final layer, fill the base with ricotta & pesto mixture, then brush with some more olive oil and scrunch the edges together to create a nice border.
Now, my favourite part, making those cute carrot roses.
Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, make long thin ribbon slices of carrots. Then form a tiny flower in your hands, by rolling one carrot ribbon over another, until you get a pretty rose.
Arrange the carrot flowers over your phyllo tart, and brush with a delicate glaze made with extra-virgin olive oil + maple syrup + thyme leaves.
Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and your tart is ready to hit the oven.
While it bakes, the carrots get gently caramelized and the maple syrup adds a silky glaze and a rich, terrific flavour.
Bake for about 15 mins, until crispy and golden brown, then allow to slightly cool before serving.
I like to make the tart ahead of time and then keep it warm in a low oven until ready to serve.
This maple-glazed carrot phyllo tart is by far one of my favorite savory tarts ever.
It's quick and totally easy to make, conveniently vegetarian and absolutely gorgeous!
It will totally be the star of your holiday table, whether you're looking for a showstopping dish to serve on Christmas or New year's Eve parties.
I hope you guys will give this colourful carrot tart a try.
If you do, please leave a comment below and let me know how you liked it! Even better, snap a picture, tag it #thepetitecook and share it on Instagram! I can’t wait to see all your festive creations :).
Recipe
Maple-glazed Carrot Tart
Ingredients
- 3 phyllo pastry sheets
- 5-6 medium carrots, I used orange, yellow, red and purple carrots
- extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- sea salt and pepper
For the maple glaze:
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
For the ricotta filling:
- 250 g fresh ricotta cheese, drained
- 2 tablespoon homemade pesto
- a bunch of fresh thyme and basil leaves, chopped
- a pinch of crushed pink peppercorns
Instructions
- Heat oven to 180C/ 360F. Lightly grease with olive oil an 8 inch tart pan.
- Prepare the ricotta filling by mizing all ingredients together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pink pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Lightly brush each phyllo pastry sheet with a little extra virgin olive oil, then use to line your tart tin, overlapping the sheets.
- When you get to the final layer, fill the base with ricotta & pesto mixture, then brush with a little oil and scrunch the edges together to create a nice border.
- Using a mandoline or vegetable peeler, make long thin ribbon slices of carrots. Then form a tiny flower in your hands, by rolling one carrot ribbon over another, until you get a pretty rose.
- Arrange the flower over your tart until is fully covered,
- Prepare the maple glaze by mixing all ingredients together. Brush the carrot roses with the mixture, then season with sea salt.
- Bake in the oven for 15 mins, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
thebhivetexas says
This is amazing! I can't find the bigger rainbow carrots. Have you heard of anyone doing this with beets?
Andrea says
Before finding the rainbow carrots, I was actually going to use regular orange carrots and fresh beets, so I’d say go for it!
thebhivetexas says
Thanks! I'm going for it! I found golden & crimson beets. Christmas dinner. I let you know how it turns out. Thanks!
Andrea says
fantastic! Let me know how it goes 🙂 Merry Christmas! xx
efwalt says
Just WOW! This looks absolutely stunning. I am pinning this as I MUST give it a go. The OH is a veggie so this is perfect for him over the festive period (and well any time really....) Thanks!
Andrea says
Aww Emma, I'm so happy you like it :)! I'm planning to make at least a dozen of this during the holidays, everyone loved it! You can also play with the veggies, I think I'll add some zucchini and squash next time 🙂
efwalt says
Zucchini and squash sounds like a great idea! Perhaps parsnips could work too?! All the root veg!