Winter Beet Salad with salt-roasted beets, pickled strawberries, sliced Granny Smith apple, crumbled goat cheese, toasted almonds, macerated cranberry, dill and scallion, and red and golden beet vinaigrette
Recipe courtesy of Tim Pervizi, Executive Chef, Huntingdon Valley Country Club, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Ingredients
- For Salt Roasted Beets
- beets - (I prefer to use any assortment available, for added aesthetic value)
- Course ground kosher salt
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Dill
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Naval orange
- Blood orange
- For Pickled Strawberries:
- water - 4 cups
- red wine vinegar - 2 cups
- sugar - 1 cup
- cloves - 1 tsp.
- fennel seed - 2 tsps.
- black pepper - 1 tsp.
- mustard seed - 1 tsp.
- bay leaves - 2
- toasted coriander seed - 1 Tbsp.
- coarse sea salt - as desired
- For Macerated Cranberry
- dried cranberries - 1 qt.
- brandy - 2 cups
- crème de cassis - 2 cups
- lime - 1
- For Red and Golden Beet Vinaigrette
- salt-roasted beet scraps - 1 qt. (utilize the trimmings after completion of knife cuts on salt-roasted beets; see recipe above)
- red wine vinegar - 1 cup (substitute equal quantity champagne vinegar for golden beet vinaigrette)
- cranberry juice - 1/2 cup (omit for golden beet vinaigrette)
- blood orange juice - 1/2 cup (substitute equal quantity of naval orange juice for golden beet vinaigrette)
- goat cheese - 1 cup
- extra virgin olive oil - to taste
- kosher salt - to taste
Instructions
For Salt Roasted Beets:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Remove completely green tops and tips of beets. Wash thoroughly and dry.
- Rough chop rosemary, thyme, and dill (stems are ok). If using a variety of colors, keep beets separate.
- Toss beets with skin on in extra-virgin olive oil, orange zest, herbs, and orange juice (I like to use naval orange for golden beets and blood orange for red beets).
- Place beets in a shallow pan. Cover completely with kosher salt. Place in oven and roast until fork tender.
- Remove beets from pan and let cool. When cooled enough to handle, gently peel with the back of a paring knife. Prepare with desired knife cuts.
For Pickled Strawberries:
- Combine all ingredients into a 3-quart, non-reactive saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for about five minutes. You can strain the liquid or use unstrained. Refrigerate and let cool.
- In a non-reactive container, pour liquid over whole strawberries (green tops removed) and reserve for later use. Try to use slightly underripe berries, and be sure to use proper jarring practices when pickling for extended periods of time.
For Macerated Cranberry:
- In a non-reactive mixing bowl, combine brandy and crème de cassis. Whisk in the juice and zest of one lime.
- Pour liquid over 1 quart dried cranberries. Refrigerate mixture for 24 to 48 hours. Drain and reserve liquid if you choose.
For Red and Golden Beet Vinaigrette:
- In a blender, add beet scraps. Keep batches of golden and red beets separate. Begin blender on low speed. When the beets begin to smooth out, add all liquid components, except olive oil.
- Turn blender to medium-high speed and add goat cheese. Drizzle in olive oil and season with kosher salt to taste. Additional goat or citrus juice can be used to adjust consistency to desired thickness.