This year I have been tasked with developing the Valentine's Day menu for my parents. I spent the week testing recipes for a menu that will feature Theobroma cacao in each course. This salad came about after reading through Niki Segnit's wonderful book, The Flavour Thesaurus. As its name suggests, this book lists flavour combinations that work well together and is an invaluable resource for inventive cooks looking for new ideas rather than step-by-step recipes.
Though these ingredients may appear disparate, they each complement each other (yes, even the goat cheese and cocoa powder, as long as you use a mild goat cheese). To simplify the recipe, you can omit the herbed cocoa coating on the goat cheese, and dress the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of the cocoa-balsamic vinaigrette. All components can be prepared up to two days in advance and combined just before serving, which also makes this an ideal dish to bring to the office for lunch.
ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH PEAR, BLOOD ORANGE, WALNUTS & GOAT CHEESE
TASTING NOTES:
Pomegranate seeds would make a nice addition to the salad /// Hazelnuts can be substituted for the walnuts /// Be sure to finely grind the spices for the goat cheese coating to avoid a grainy texture /// Using precooked beets reduces the "time to table" to 30 minutes /// Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch beets (about 4-5 small or 3 large beets)
1 blood orange or tangerine
1 pear, thinly sliced
1/3 cup walnuts
200 grams (7 ounces) wild arugula or mixed greens
100 grams (3.5 ounces) herbed cocoa-coated goat cheese (recipe follows)
cocoa-balsamic vinaigrette (recipe follows)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 205˚C (400˚F). Scrub the outside of the beets and remove the stems with leaves. Place the beets in a small roasting dish with a thin layer of water, sprinkle with salt, and cover the dish tightly with foil. Spread the walnuts on a small baking tray lined with foil. Transfer the walnuts and beets to the oven. Toast the walnuts for 7-10 minutes, until lightly browned and nutty-smelling. Remove from the oven, leaving the beets to continue roasting, and set aside to cool. Roast the beets for 45-75 minutes total (depending on size of beets), until you can pierce a beet with a knife all the way through. Set the beets aside to cool. Turn the broiler on or heat a grill. Broil or grill the pear slices for 5-6 minutes on each side, until lightly charred, then set aside to cool.
Peel the beets, slice in half vertically, then cut each half into quarters. Toss the beets with a spoonful of the dressing and a sprinkle of salt in a large bowl. Cut the top and bottom off of the blood orange, then carefully cut off the skin and white pith. Slice the orange horizontally and remove any seeds. (If using tangerine, peel and divide into segments.) Add the lettuce, citrus, and half of the walnuts to the beets, and add dressing to taste. Top the salad with slices of goat cheese, the remaining walnuts, a drizzle of dressing, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Serves: 2 as an appetizer or 1 as a main course
Time to table: 90 minutes (mainly waiting for the beets to cook)
Equipment: a small roasting dish, a small baking tray, a large bowl
HERBED COCOA-COATED GOAT CHEESE
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 unwaxed tangerine or blood orange, zested
100 grams (3.5 ounces) mild soft goat cheese
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the pink peppercorns, fennel seed, thyme, cocoa powder, black pepper and orange zest in a spice grinder and finely grind. (Alternatively, grind with a mortar and pestle.) Spread the powder on a plate and roll the goat cheese in the powder to coat fully.
Serves: 2
Time to table: 10 minutes
Equipment: spice grinder or mortar and pestle, Microplane or fine grater
COCOA-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
small pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon honey
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serves: 2
Time to table: 5 minutes
Equipment: small bowl
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