From the Southern Table

Squirrelly, Jr., is a very adventurous eater. There are a few things he doesn’t like, but, considering he’s twelve, he is pretty wide open. Mama has very few things she doesn’t like, and beets are, or were, one of them.

After having Chef Andrew Adams’ beet tart, Mama finally accepted that there is more to beets than the canned pickled beets of our childhood. The tart is delicious. The fact that it is essentially magenta pie is an added bonus.

While Mama was in San Diego, she couldn’t resist bringing home baby golden and purple beets. Since Nana Squirrel loves beets, we decided to put together a special dish for Easter for her.

Beets three ways

Roasted Chino Farms Golden Baby Beets and Mache Salad with Champagne Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette

1 lb golden beets no larger than 2 inches in diameter with tops
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp rosemary

1. Clean beets thoroughly and remove all but 1/2 inch of tops. Reserve tops for another use.
2. Toss beets with olive oil and rosemary sprigs.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until beets are tender.
4. Remove skin by hand while warm.

1 tbsp champagne mustard
1/2 cup meyer lemon olive oil
2 tbsp honey vinegar
2 tbsp Citronage liqueur
1 pinch kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper to taste

1. Whisk together all ingredients until emulsified.
2. Toss mache rosettes with vinaigrette.

Red Beet and Chevre Tart

1 bunch large red beets
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 bulb of fennel, chopped
4 tbsp butter
1 bunch thyme
8 oz soft chevre
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 savory pie crust of your choice

1. Blind bake pie crust by recipe directions and set aside.
2. Clean beets thoroughly and remove tops and roots.
3. Wrap each beet individually in foil.
4. Roast in 275 degree oven for 4 hours or until tender.
5. Remove skin by hand while warm.
6. Cut beets into cubes, reserving as much juice as possible and set aside.
7. Melt 2 tbsp butter in nonstick skillet.
8. Saute onions and fennel with thyme until onions are translucent and set aside.
9. Melt remaining butter in skillet.
10. Add flour, stirring with wood spoon until smooth.
11. Add milk slowly, stirring until each addition is combined and smooth.
12. Add chevre, stirring until fully melted and incorporated.
13. Return onions, fennel and beets to skillet with cream sauce.
14. Smooth filling into crust.
15. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until filling is hot throughout.

Inspired by a recipe from Andrew Adams.

Glazed Chino Farms Purple Baby Beets with Pink Onions

1 lb baby purple beets
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp good quality balsamic vinegar
1 large red onion, sliced thin
juice of 1 meyer lemon

1. Remove all but 1/2 inch of tops of beets.
2. Clean beets thoroughly and peel, taking care to remove rough area directly below tops.
3. Combine beets with sugar and distilled vinegar in a large saucepan with enough water to cover beets by 1/4 inch.
4. Press parchment paper onto top of water and sides of pot.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours or until beets are tender.
6. Remove beets with slotted spoon and reduce liquid to 1/2 cup.
7. Return beets to pan with 2 tbsp of butter and reduce liquid to 2 tbsp, tossing beets continuously to glaze beets.
8. Add balsamic vinegar at the last second.

Pink onions

1. Melt remaining butter in skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions and cover with parchment paper pressed to onions and sides of skillet.
3. Cook until onions are slightly crisped, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
5. Stir until onions are light pink.

Plate small mound of onions and top with glazed beets.

Inspired by a recipe from Alain Passard.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 at 6:46 pm and is filed under Recipe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.