Chef Phoebe Lawless' Vanilla Beet Meringue Tart

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! This year, surprise your sweetie with a treat from Chef Phoebe Lawless' kitchen at Scratch Bakery in Durham. Coming from a  2013 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Pastry Chef award, you know it's going to be scrumptious.   (Makes one 9” tart.)

FOR THE PASTRY
2½ oz. of cold butter, cubed
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder

TO MAKE THE PASTRY
Combine butter, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until butter is the size of peas and is coated with the sugar. Add egg yolk and cream; pulse again until butter pieces are coated. Add flour and cocoa and process until fairly smooth. Dump dough onto work surface. Gather into a loose pile and using the heel of your hands, take small sections of dough and frissage (smooth the butter and the dough) with shallow strokes until all of dough is smooth and consistent. Gather and smooth dough to a round, wrap in plastic.  Refrigerate a minimum of 30 minutes before using. Can be frozen up to three months, defrost in fridge overnight.

FOR THE BEET PUREE
¼  lb. red beets, peeled & quartered
1 cup heavy cream
½ vanilla bean, split & scraped

TO MAKE THE BEET PUREE
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook covered until beets are fork tender, about 30 min. Allow to cool. Remove vanilla bean.
Using a blender pour beet mix and blend until completely smooth. Can be frozen!

FOR THE FILLING
½ cup beet puree (see recipe above)
1 egg
2 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
½ cup full fat buttermilk
zest of 1 orange

TO MAKE THE FILLING & THE TART
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients and whisk until very smooth. Reserve. On a lightly floured board, roll out tart dough to 1 ½ inches beyond the edge of your ring/pan. Lay into pan and press to evenly distribute dough. Crimp off any excess. Refrigerate or freeze for at least 20 minutes. Bake tart shell for 15-20 minutes. Pull from oven and pour filling into par baked shell, return to oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until no longer liquid. Allow to cool.

FOR THE MERINGUE
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar

TO MAKE THE MERINGUE
Beat whites in an electric mixer with a pinch of salt until white and have reached soft peak. Slowly add sugar and beat for another few minutes to ensure sugar has dissolved. Distribute a generous amount of meringue on top of tart, making sure to leave a visible ring of beet so the contrast of colors is pronounced! Serve at room temp or refrigerate if to be enjoyed later.