Beet Salad

When i was little my Mama, Grandma, and Grandpa would go to a local cafeteria called Luby's. My mother would get me a little bowl of spinach which she tells me i would eat up delicately with my fingers. Soon i graduated to other vegetables and loved every one, but never acquired a taste for beets. This is until i tried in vain one last time to make beets on my own as an adult. I used an old weight watchers recipe consisting of pine nuts honey and gorgonzola. It blew me away. I loved beets!!!

Next recipe on the agenda this week, I'll tell you how it turns out for me.
Dayna


Wedding Beet Salad
Serves 8


Although there are many beet salad recipes around, Brian (our chef de cuisine) added some special twists to his version. He combined the beets with apples, which gives this salad a great balance in both flavor and texture. Brian also used a sweet sherry vinegar, which gives this salad a whole new dimension. Since sweet sherry vinegar isn’t available in grocery stores, I’ve used aged sherry vinegar with a little instant dissolve sugar. You might have to search to find sherry vinegar in your neighborhood, but it’s worth the effort. It’s actually my favorite vinegar and can be used in place of balsamic in many recipes. This recipe is called Wedding Beet Salad since Brian created it to serve at his own wedding.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds red beets
1 1/2 pounds Honey Crisp apples (you can substitute your favorite crisp apple)
1 small red onion (1/3 cup), thinly sliced, rinsed under cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 ounces sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon instant dissolve sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 ounces blue cheese
Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the clean whole beets on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife easily penetrate the beet. Allow to cool, then using plastic gloves and paper towels, rub the skins off. Cut the beets into a small dice and place into a large bowl.

Peel, core and dice the apples into similar size pieces and add to the beets along with the red onion slices.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. This can be done ahead.

Just before serving, crumble on the blue cheese.