Mini Carrot Tarte Tatin with Cumin & Honey

To make this recipe for Mini carrot tarte tatin with cumin and honey, start by preparing all the ingredients.

Filling: Peel the carrots using a peeler...

...as shown in the photo.

Pass the carrots through the mandoline...

...to slice them to a thickness of 4mm.

Melt the butter in a saucepan...

Add the carrot slices...

...and mix carefully with a spatula so the carrots are well coated with melted butter.

Add the honey...

...and a pinch of cumin seeds. Be careful not to add too much, as cumin has a rather strong flavour.

Season with freshly ground pepper...

...and fleur de sel.

Add a little water, just to cover.

Prepare a parchment paper lid. To do this, fold a square of parchment paper in half and then in quarters, to obtain a triangle, as shown in the photo. Place the folded paper over the saucepan and cut it to match the radius.

Make a small cut at the centre of the paper (at the tip of the triangle) to create a steam vent.

Unfold the parchment paper. You now have a disc with a hole in the middle, which must be placed inside the saucepan, directly in contact with the carrots.

Let the carrot slices cook over medium heat to glaze them. It is important that the carrots do not brown. Always keep a little water at the bottom of the saucepan, so monitor the cooking regularly. The parchment lid helps prevent the cooking liquid from evaporating too quickly.

Puff pastry: Take the puff pastry previously prepared, and roll it out with a rolling pin to an even thickness of 3 mm.

Take a round plain cutter Ø 10cm, the same size as the tartlet moulds...

...and cut out discs of puff pastry.

Then remove the trimmings to obtain 9 discs of puff pastry.

Prick each dough disc with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing too much during baking. Refrigerate.

Filling (continued): While the carrots continue to cook gently over low heat...

...add a sprig of rosemary. This is optional.

Continue cooking until the carrots are tender (check with the tip of a knife).

Once cooked, remove the parchment paper lid...

...and transfer the carrots into a food container.

Let cool at room temperature.

Caramel: Pour the water into a saucepan.

Add the caster sugar...

...and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, continue cooking until a caramel forms. This will happen fairly quickly, so make sure the heat isn't too high, as this could darken the caramel too fast and make it bitter.

When the caramel reaches the right colour, add the butter.

Incorporate the butter by gently swirling the saucepan. The caramel will foam. Once the butter is fully incorporated, the caramel is ready.

Place the tartlet moulds on a baking tray and divide the caramel among them. It does not matter if the caramel doesn't completely spread over the bottom.

This is what the result should look like.

Arrange the cooled carrots over the bottom of the moulds...

...placing them neatly in a swirl pattern.

Allow to cool completely before continuing. It is not necessary to refrigerate the moulds (the carrots simply must not be warm).

Take the puff pastry discs and roll them out very slightly with a rolling pin to enlarge them just a little.

Place these dough discs into the tartlet moulds, directly over the carrots.

The discs must be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the tartlet moulds.

Repeat with all the puff pastry discs...

...to obtain this.

Egg wash: Prepare an egg wash by mixing one egg yolk with one tablespoon of water. Then apply this wash using a pastry brush onto the puff pastry discs.

Place the tartlet moulds into a fan-assisted oven preheated to 180°C and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the puff pastry is cooked and golden. Baking time may vary depending on the oven.

At the end of baking, the puff pastry will have slightly shrunk and risen.

Remove the mini tatins from the oven...

...and release them onto a plate while still hot. If any carrot slices remain stuck to the moulds, gently reposition them on top of the tartlets.

Here are the mini carrot tatins with cumin and honey. Set aside. They will need to be reheated in the oven at 150°C for 10 minutes just before serving.

Finish: Decorate the top of the mini tatins with chia seeds...

...and a few dried rosemary leaves placed with precision tongs. You may also sprinkle pine nuts over the tartlets if you wish. Enjoy!