I don't like beets

I grew up with grandparents that LOVED beets. They would eat them canned, fresh, or any other way they came. I had a good Mommy that me try things even when she didn't like them. I never particularly cared for beets. Until about a year ago...I happened upon local beets being served in salads in Washington, D.C. restaurants. These were not the slimy, archaically pink, odd tasting beets of my childhood. These were sweet, colorful, delightfully lovely. I loved them with different types of cheeses and a small nut on the plate to give it some crunch. Little did I know I would be come a beet lover. In Hana we roasted beets at least twice a day. I found that I loved to quality check them. I was given the task of prepping for one of the holiday cocktail parties at the main house and beets with goat cheese were on the menu. I was told to add some herbs to the goat cheese and let my imagination go wild. It's amazing how the proper cooking process or just the change in our taste buds over time can have such an impact.

The first week of service I had wanted to make the beet salad but Michelle and Lianne picked it so I worked on vegetables. But I did get to impart some of my wisdom on them. The first time they did the beet salad it was just the dark beets and neither of them really liked the flavor. However on Thursday we received different varieties of beets and after much prodding Lianne finally tried them. She now loves golden beets. I'm just so happy that my Mom taught me to try things more than once. 

Roasted Beets

10 pounds beets (purple, yellow, or white), scrubbed

olive oil (enough to lightly coat the beets)

10 thyme sprigs

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Remove any stems from beets.
2. Rub beets lightly with olive oil, season and wrap in foil with sprigs of thyme.
3. Place in preheated 350 oven. Roast until tender or knife can easily be inserted into the beet.
4. Cool and peel beets when needed

Be careful not to mix dark beets with pink, white, or golden because they will dye them all the same color.

For the amuse this week Chef Tom had me roast the three colors of beets and then Lianne, Aaron, and myself cut them all into cuts that were slightly larger than a bruniose. We kept all the beets separate so that they could be tossed together right before service with a touch of truffle oil and then finished off with goat cheese. I think of all my favorite combinations of food...goat cheese and beets has got to be pretty high up there. 

The only thing that I wish the person that had finished the amuse had done was to put some herbs in the goat cheese. I think the flavor would have made the dish perfect.