Baby Heirloom Beets with Redwood Hill Farm Chevre, a Candied Walnut Vinaigrette, and Rosemary Bavarois (courtesy of Trokay Café, serves 6)
Plate Components
Beet Reduction
Roasted Baby Beets
Beet Stem Pickles
Shaved Raw Beets
Beet Chips
Petite Mache
Rosemary Bavarois
Herbed Goat Cheese
Candied Walnuts
Walnut Powder
Walnut Vinaigrette
For Beet Reduction
15 each large red beets
Using a juice extractor, juice enough large red beets to produce 1 quart of beet juice. Strain juice through a fine mesh strainer, or chinoise. Place the strained juice in a thick walled saucepan and reduce until mixture coats the back of a spoon and is similar to syrup in consistency. Place in a plastic container and chill in refrigerator.
For Roasted Beets
Heirloom Baby Beets – 3 colors, 10 of each
Place rock salt in the bottom of a roasting pan, and place the beets in the pan such that there is 1⁄4-inch between the beets. Roast in a 400 degrees F oven for 75 minutes. Remove beets from oven, and while beets are still hot, use towels to rub skins off of roasted beets. Be sure that all skin is removed.
For Beet Stem Pickles
Reserved stems from heirloom baby beets
Cut batonettes of beet stems, roughly 1.5-inch in length. Place beet stems in a heat-safe plastic container. In a thick walled saucepan, heat 1 quart of rice wine vinegar with 200 grams of granulated sugar until sugar dissolves and mixture is rapidly boiling. Pour boiling vinegar/sugar mixture over beet stems. Allow beet stems to sit in hot vinegar for 30 minutes before placing entire container in refrigeration. Once fully cooled, cover container and reserve for later use.
For Shaved Raw Beets
10 each baby chioggia beets
Shave baby chioggia beets on a mandolin to show horizontal cross-section, 1/16th-inch thickness. Use an appropriately sized circle cutter to remove skin and perfect circular shape of shaving. Reserve shavings in ice water for later use.
For the Beet Chips
2 each large red beets
Shave large red beets on a mandolin to show horizontal cross-section, 1/16th-inch thickness. Use an appropriately sized circle cutter to remove skin and perfect circular shape of shaving. Make two parallel slits near center of shaving, about 1centimeter wide. Using small tweezers, reach through both of slits and pull 1 leaf of Mojave sage back through beet. Rub grapeseed oil on two sheets of parchment paper, and evenly season oiled paper with fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Lay beet shavings that have been interwoven with sage in a single layer on one of the oiled/seasoned parchment sheets. Place remaining sheet of oiled/seasoned parchment on top. Place in dehydrator and dehydrate overnight at 145 degrees F.
For the Petite Mache
2 pounds Petite Mache
Cut any remaining stem off of base of mache and wash thoroughly, reserving beautiful florets to garnish plate.
For the Rosemary Bavarois
1 quart heavy cream
9 sheets gelatin
In a saucepan, heat cream. Meanwhile, bloom gelatin in cold water. Once cream is very hot, add rosemary and remove pan from heat. After rosemary has steeped for 20 minutes, reheat cream. Squeeze all cold water out of bloomed gelatin sheets, and add gelatin to hot cream. Strain mixture into a casserole or cookie sheet with at least a 1-inch tall lip.
For the Herbed Goat Cheese
1 pound Chevre
Fresh thyme (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 teaspoon zest of 1 lemon
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
For the Candied Walnuts
1 pound walnut meat
2 cups sugar
In a nonstick skillet heat sugar on medium heat until it begins to melt. Add nuts and stir vigorously, being careful not to burn sugar. Transfer nuts to a baking sheet lined with a silpat or other silicon pan liner. Allow to cool and reserve to garnish plate.
For the Walnut Powder
10 grams walnut oil
5 grams tapioca maltodextrin
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar (sifted)
In a mixing bowl, using a whisk, combine walnut oil, maltodextrin, and confectioner’s sugar. Whisk until powder is formed. Transfer to a thoroughly dry container and hold at room temperature.
For the Walnut Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Maille Old Style Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
1½ teaspoons walnut oil
3 Tablespoons
grapeseed oil
In a squeeze bottle, combine sherry vinegar, walnut oil, and grapeseed oil. With one finger placed firmly over tip of squeeze bottle, shake vigorously until vinaigrette is homogenous.
To Assemble
1. Cut beets horizontally into cylindrical sections, separate by color
2. Dress beets with walnut vinaigrette, season with salt and freshly ground white pepper
3. Using a 2-inch fine pastry brush or paintbrush, brush beet reduction on plate so as to create initial line of symmetry
4. Imagine a line that intersects the line created by the beet reduction so as to create a new line of symmetry. Steps 5, 6, and 7 involve placement on newly imagined line
5. Pipe two teaspoon-sized dots of herbed goat cheese onto plate
6. Cut a circle of rosemary Bavarois. Using an offset spatula, lift cylinder of Bavarois out of tray and place it on plate
7. Place beets along newly imagined line, alternating color and size so as to create a well-formed line. Place one beet on top of each of herbed goat cheese dots, as well as cylinder of rosemary Bavarois
8. Alternating spacing and orientation so as to create visual interest, place 5 beet pickle batons, 5 candied walnuts, and 1 beet chip along the newly created line of beets
9. Dress 3 raw chioggia beet shavings and 5 perfect heads of petite mache with walnut vinaigrette. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper and place suitably along line of beets and other garnitures
10. Now imagine another line on plate. This line will be for walnut powder. The new line must be parallel to line of beet reduction, but not intersect line of beets and other garnitures. Using a straight edge for precision, spoon a line of walnut powder onto plate
