Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tartine Tuesday: Honey Drizzled Beets with Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Tartines

I never thought I would like beets. Even just recently I made a comment to Quentin about how they aren't my favorite thing... and how I never really liked them. But this year I'm attempting to give a second chance all those things I loathed as a food-ignorant adolescent.

Bloody Beeting Heart

Turns out (unsurprisingly) that there are a lot of things I didn't like back then that I love now... red wine, olives, black pepper (freshly cracked of course). Don't even get me started on cheese. I actually refused to eat cheese unless it was bright yellow, square shaped, and wrapped in individual clear plastic sheets. I'm so glad I grew out of that phase.

I gave beets a second shot. Hell, I was basically dreaming of this recipe in my sleep last night.

I roasted the bloody beauty and paired it with tangy goat cheese, lemon zest, and my new favorite herb; tarragon. The tart, fresh goats cheese balances beautifully with the earthy sweetness of the beets. The lemon zest brightens up all the flavors and the tarragon adds a woodsy licorice note that makes my knees weak. Damn, I love tarragon. A little sweet drizzle of honey at the end took it right over the top.

Honey Drizzled Beets with Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Tartines

These tartines are bloody delicious.

Honey Drizzled Beets with Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Tartines

6 slices of bread, toasted
1 medium sized beet (uncooked & with the skin on)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pinch of large grain sea salt
200 grams fresh goat's cheese
1 sprig of fresh tarragon (or roughly 2 pinches of whole dried tarragon leaves), chopped
zest of 1 small lemon
honey, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste


To Roast the Beet:

Beet Pre-Roast 

Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit (205° Celsius). 

Rub the beet with vegetable oil and sea salt. 

Place in a roasting pan with about an inch of water in the bottom and cover with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until a knife slides easily into the beet.

Remove from the oven and let cool before peeling. Once cooled, peel and slice into a medium dice or bite-sized pieces.


To Make the Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Spread:

Lemon-Tarragon Goat Cheese Spread

In a bowl, mix together the goat cheese, tarragon, and lemon zest until combined. Add freshly cracked pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator until the beet is cooled and prepped.

Spread goat cheese mixture on toasts and top with the roasted beet. Drizzle honey on top. Serves 2.

6 comments:

  1. My friend served us a similar dish as part of an apéro dinatoire spread. I've been smitten ever since.
    Love your addition of tarragon!

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  2. Yum, that looks delicious. I've only used beets in Russian Potato Salad but I might give this recipe a try :)

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  3. love beets especially when roasted though have never paired it with tarragon but will definitely try now. Lovely tartine! Yum

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  4. OH my! This looks divine!!! Beautiful photography and recipe! Bookmarked!!

    Great blog; happy I found you!

    Mary xx
    Delightful Bitefuls

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  5. Love your photo of the beet! I'm getting to like them more and more and they go soooo well with goat cheese! Love the nip of honey to finish it off!

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  6. Thanks everyone! They were suuuper yummy!

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