We could expect nothing less than wholesome when we asked our resident health guru Jana to present us with one of her own Christmas table dishes. This sweet and salty tart is perfectly balanced, and the balsamic glaze is what veggie dreams are made of.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 90 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 kg butternut
3 sweet potatoes
3 pears
2 cloves garlic
⅓ cup olive oil
1 tbsp dried origanum
1 tbsp veggie spice
Salt and pepper
3 onions
3 tbsp butter
⅔ cup balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp Port or sherry
1 roll puff pastry
100g blue cheese

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Peel and dice butternut, sweet potatoes, pears and garlic, then mix with the oil, origanum and veggie spice. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40–60 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Peel onions and slice in rings. Heat butter in an ovenproof dish. Fry onions for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add vinegar, sugar and Port/sherry. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Spoon veggies into the dish on top of the onion mixture. Roll out pastry and lay over veggies.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is golden.
6. To serve the tarte Tatin, invert on to a platter and crumble blue cheese over.