Author Notes
This is the tale chronicling how an Experimental Chef, armed with a knife and spatula, conquered and tamed the Beet Monster. In their first face-off, the Beet Monster reared it's monstrous tendrils and tail. As the chef reached high up on the grocery shelf to grab it, the Beet Monster attacked her with a raining parade of falling vegetables. It then proceeded to stain the chef's shirt, fingers, knife and cutting board a gory red. But in the end, the ever-resourceful chef peeled, sliced, boiled, roasted and finally conquered and transformed the Beet from Beast to Beauty. She Beat the Beets! —Experimental Culinary Pursuits
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Ingredients
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3-4
Medium-sized Beets
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1/3 cup
Agave Nectar
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4 tablespoons
Honey
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1/4 cup
Olive Oil
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1/4 cup
Balsamic Vinegar
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5 handfuls
Arugula Leaves, washed and cut
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1 tablespoon
Dried Basil
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6 ounces
Cream Cheese
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3 ounces
Sour Cream
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2 tablespoons
Parsley, finely chopped
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2 tablespoons
Chives, finely chopped
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1
Garlic Clove, minced
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a few pinches
Salt & Pepper
Directions
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Wash the beets, cutting off the leafy greens section. Peel them and divide into 2 piles.
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Slice the first batch of beets into 1/4 inch slices. Boil in 4 cups water and Agave Nectar for about 30-40 minutes until tender when forked.
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Slice the second batch of beets into thin slices with a Mandoline. Toss in the honey-balsamic vinagrette of (Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Honey, Dried Basil, Salt & Pepper) until thoroughly saturated. Roast in oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning over once halfway through.
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While the beets are boiling and roasting, make the herbed cheese. Mix the Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, MInced Garlic, Chives, and Parsley until mixture is thick and creamy.
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Toss the Arugula in the same Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette used for the roasted beets.
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When Beets are cooked and cooled, assemble the plate starting with a bed of Arugula, then layer on the boiled beets. With a piper (you can also make one by cutting a small hole in a ziploc bag), pipe the herbed cheese on top of the beets. Now, take the crispy beet chips and wedge them around the cheese to form a flower-like pattern.
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