Roasted Beet and Herb Salad with Cheese Tuiles and Champagne Vinaigrette
Source: Damon Barham, Parties That Cook
Recipe Type: Salads | Seasons: Autumn, Winter
This recipe was demonstrated for CUESA’s Market to Table program on November 2, 2013.
Serves 10
INGREDIENTS
Beets
8 baby red beets with their greens*
3 large Chioggia beets (can substitute yellow beets) with their greens*
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Substitute 8 cups of baby arugula if beet greens don’t look good or if you can’t find beet tops.
Cheese Tuiles
4 ounces goat Gouda
Vinaigrette
1 small shallot
1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup champagne vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
½ bunch parsley
½ bunch tarragon
1 bunch chives
1 small apple, Fuji or Granny Smith
2 stalks celery
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove the beet tops from the beets and reserve for the salad. Divide the beets between two roasting pans (baby in one, large in the other). Toss them in the oil, salt, and pepper. Add about an inch of water to the pans, cover with foil, and roast until soft, anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes (depending on their size), until a skewer or knife pierces the beets easily. Pour any beet juices that have accumulated into a bowl and set aside. Let the beets cool.
2. Peel the outer skin off of the beets. Cut the baby beets in half or quarters and place in a bowl. Thinly slice the large beets into 10 rounds per beet and place into a bowl or lay out on a sheet pan.
3. Cut the beet stems off of the greens and discard. Wash and dry the beet greens really well, as they are usually very sandy and gritty. Make small stacks of greens, roll then up, and slice into ¼-inch strips. You should have about 8 cups of beet greens. Set aside in a bowl until ready to serve.
4. To make the tuiles, reduce the oven to 325ºF. Line a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment. Grate the cheese using the large holes on a box grater. Place the cheese onto the silpat and evenly spread into a large low mound. Place the pan into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted into a large golden bubbling disc, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until hard. Break the tuile into small shards and set aside.
5. To make the vinaigrette, mince the shallot and place into a bowl. Zest the orange into the bowl, then squeeze in 2 tablespoons of orange juice along with the lemon juice. Whisk in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar. Add the reserved beet roasting juice (if any).
6. Toss the beets in half of the dressing and let marinate until ready to plate. Reserve the rest of the vinaigrette.
7. Shave the leaves from the parsley stems and pick off any large bits of stem left behind. Discard the stems. Pull the leaves from the tarragon stems and roughly chop. Snip the chives into ½-inch lengths. Place the herbs into the bowl of beet greens. Dice the apple and celery into another small bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to prevent browning. Set aside.
8. Dress the salad greens with the remaining vinaigrette; add the apples and celery. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Lay 3 slices of the Chioggia beet onto each plate. Top with a small, tight handful of the salad greens. Lay a few baby beets around the greens. Garnish with the shards of cheese tuiles.
Farmers Market Ingredients