Beets, whipped blue cheese, candied pecans

Beets, whipped blue cheese, candied pecans

Serves 4





1 pound baby beets, trimmed of greens

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 ounces blue cheese, softened

¼ cup Champagne Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

⅓ cup Candied Pecans, chopped (recipe follows)

Baby frisée, for garnish (optional)



Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Tightly seal the beets, whole, in a large sheet of aluminum foil. If you are using different-colored beats, package the beets separately by color so that the red ones won’t stain the lighter-colored ones.

Bake the beets for 40 minutes. To test the beets for doneness, a knife should slip in and out of them without any effort. Let the beets cool. Peel the thin layer of skin from each beet. Cut the beets into quarters. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese on high speed until soft and fluffy, stopping to scrape the bowl as needed. Add the blue cheese and continue to whip, scraping the bowl as needed, until the two cheeses are evenly mixed and fluffy.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and whip a little more to incorporate.

Toss the beets with the vinaigrette. If you are using different-colored beets, toss them separately by color to prevent them from staining each other. Divide the beets among 4 plates.

Transfer the whipped cheese to a pastry bag and pipe the cheese in small mounds around the beets. Or you can simply spoon the cheese onto the plates. Garnish each salad with some pecans and frisée. Serve immediately.



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Champagne vinaigrette

Makes about 13/4 cups



With a nice balance of sweet and sour, this is an extremely versatile vinaigrette.





1 cup Champagne vinegar



1∕₃ cup olive oil



1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice



1∕₃ cup honey

Combine all of the ingredients in a nonreactive bowl, adding the honey last to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the bowl. Whisk vigorously until combined. Tightly sealed, the vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Before using the vinaigrette in a recipe, bring the vinaigrette back to room temperature and re-whisk to combine.



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Candied pecans

Makes about 1 cup







1 cup pecans (about 31/2 ounces)



2 tablespoons light corn syrup



1 tablespoon sugar



1/2 teaspoon salt



1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Pinch of cayenne pepper



Preheat the oven to 325°F.



Spray a baking sheet or pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, tossing to coat the nuts with the seasonings and corn syrup (use your hands or a wooden spoon to get everything evenly mixed). Spread the nuts on the sheet evenly so that they don’t touch (clusters will be hard to break up after baking).

Stirring or shaking the pan occasionally to break up clumps, bake the nuts until they turn a deep golden brown and the sugar mixture is bubbling (about 15 minutes). Let the nuts cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently break the nuts apart if necessary and store them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

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