Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Yummy Warm Roasted Beet Salad

When it comes to Beets, everybody has an opinion.  Love them or hate them, this salad will convert any beet hater.  I still am not a pickled beet fan, and I don't like beets that come from a jar or a can.  However, give me fresh beets from the store and let me roast them and turn them into a warm salad, then yes, I love my beets.  There are lots of variations out there on a roasted beet salad, but when I was searching for a recipe, not one of them had I liked or wanted.  So this is my take on a warm roasted beet salad.  It is as beautiful as it is delicious, trust me.  It is also simple and can be made well in advance.  I served this salad as the precursor to a fine dining night in our home.  The main course was a roasted tenderloin of pork over cauliflower puree.  If you make this dish, let me know what you think!

Yummy Warm Roasted Beet Salad

1 beet per person
1 small tub of mascarpone cheese
1 lemon
1 cup walnuts
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup good honey
1/4 cup good Dijon mustard
good olive oil (nice finishing oil not cooking oil)

Preheat oven to 425.  Wash beets and cut off greens to about an inch above beet.  Rub beets with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in the foil in the oven for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Use paper towel once cool to rub skin from beets.

In a small bowl, put in your mascarpone cheese, zest of 1 lemon, juice of 1 lemon, pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.  Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat oven to 350.  Toast walnuts for about 10 minutes.  Set aside.  In a sauce pan add 1 cup of sugar on medium low heat and let melt to caramel color.  Add butter.  Spread walnuts out on parchment paper and drizzle caramel mixture over walnuts and let cool.

In a bowl or jar mix together mustard, honey, vinegar and oil.  Mix well.

Thinly slice beets (I used a mandolin).  Place the sliced beet on the plate, add a dollop of the mascarpone mixture, sprinkle a few candied walnuts and drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.  DELICIOUS!

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