Savory Carrot Tart with Doenjang & Ricotta

When I was in middle school, I had one of those L.L. Bean backpacks with my initials on it: RMC. And sometimes girls would ask me, what does the M stand for? One time I told them “Michelle” even though…that’s not my middle name. And the reason I lied is because one time I told them my middle name was my Korean name “Mijin” and that a lot of Korean Americans do this as a nod to their heritage. But after getting funny looks and zero follow-up questions, I decided this story wasn’t worth telling anymore.

My grandfather gave me my Korean name, “Mi” meaning beauty and “Jin” meaning truth. So beautiful truth or if you’d like, authentic beauty. And the beautiful truth is that this blend of Korean and American is the reason my food looks the way it does. It’s both east and west. So whether it’s this rainbow carrot tart with doenjang, garlic, rosemary and ricotta or any of my other recipes, it’s my most authentic beautiful real self in edible form. And that’s why I’ll never lie again the fact that “M” in RMC stands for Mijin, not Michelle.

This carrot tart is perfect for your next potluck and by the way, would be amazing swapped out for potatoes or even sweet potatoes or zucchini in the summertime. But don’t miss out on the flair of Korean doenjang or fermented soybean paste. It has a depth of umami that you can’t quite find anywhere else and by cooking it down with some water and sugar, it turns into a versatile sauce that would also go great with your next BBQ atop pork chops or chicken thighs.

Roasted Carrot Tart with Doenjang & Ricotta (4 servings)

For the pie crust (makes two discs):

• 2 1/2 cups flour (313 grams)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 sticks (16 TBSPs) unsalted butter, cubed and frozen
• 1/2 cup ice water

For the doenjang sauce:

• 1/3 cup doenjang
• 1/3 cup water
• 1.5 TBSP sugar
• 2 TBSP oil

For the ricotta filling:

• 1 cup full fat ricotta
• 1 lemon
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or microplaned
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped (thyme would work well here, too)

For the tart:

• 2 bunches of carrots
• Parmesan cheese

Make the pie crust. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix flour and salt. Add 1 stick of cold cubed butter and mix on medium until incorporated and it looks like crumbs. Add the second stick of cold, cubed butter and the cold water little by little, mixing on low just until pastry comes together. If it’s too crumbly, add a little more water, a splash at a time. Shape dough into two disks, wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Form the dough. After chilling, roll out one disc of dough until it’s about 1/2 centimeter thick, lightly flouring your surface to prevent sticking. Working quickly, fit into a pie dish or tart pan, letting about a 1/2 centimeter of excess hang over the edge as it will shrink slightly when it bakes. Chill in the fridge as you assemble the rest of the ingredients.

Make doenjang sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine doenjang, water, and sugar and stir constantly until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Whisk in oil at the end until it forms a sauce and set aside to cool.

Make ricotta filling. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, zest from the lemon as well as a good squeeze of the juice, garlic, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more lemon juice if it needs more zing. Set aside in the fridge.

Blind bake and prep carrots. Place a piece of parchment paper over the chilled pie crust, fill with baking beads or dried beans and blind bake the crust for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into thin slices using a mandolin. Toss the carrots with salt, pepper, and the doenjang sauce.

Assemble and bake. Spread ricotta filling into the pie crust in an even layer. Assemble the carrot slices, starting from the outside and working inward. If the carrots have released some water as it sat in the bowl, no worries; just remove excess moisture before assembling into the pie without worrying too much about it. Bake for 40-45 minutes, covering the tart with foil halfway to prevent the crust from browning too much and to cook the carrots all the way through. Top with more black pepper and grated parmesan before serving. Enjoy with a simple salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.