What’s for dinner? Veg version of French dessert

Here’s how it often goes at dinner time on weeknights in my kitchen: My husband walks in, and if there’s no discernible aroma wafting across the room, he starts lifting lids on pans on the stovetop and looking in the fridge for leftovers before wondering out loud “What’s for dinner?”

On a recent Monday, the answer was something of a shocker, given his lifelong belief that every nighttime meal should include a starch, a vegetable and some sort of animal protein.

In addition to a tender green salad dressed in a tangy, cheesy vinaigrette, there was a entree featuring the hardest-working veggie in my refrigerator’s crisper drawer — carrots.

If you’re going to go vegetarian, this is the way to go. Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen’s vegetal take on the classic fruittopped French dessert, tarte Tatin, is nothing short of spectacular. Carrots sauteed in butter with a little honey are always delicious, but when you also add a splash of balsamic vinegar, toss in a little goat cheese and tuck them into a tight circle on top of puff pastry, well, they’re something else entirely.

Perelman categorizes the dish as an appetizer, and indeed, cut into thin wedges, tarte tatin would make a lovely finger food for parties. But paired with a salad and a crusty roll, it becomes an even lovelier, veggie-forward casual supper.

I used bunch carrots and a log of fresh goat cheese. Don’t forget the flaky salt as a finishing touch; it really brings out

the flavor of the carrots.

The dish is best served warm.

If you make it in advance, keep it in the pan and gently rewarm

it in the oven before flipping it onto a plate.

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A savory carrot tarte tatin is paired with a green salad for a simple, and elegant, vegetarian supper.