Whole Beets with Pickled Rose Petals, Sumac, Caramelized Butter, Yogurt, and Dill
Recipe courtesy of chef Matt Dillon
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 Chiogga beets with the taproot and the upper inch of the stem to the greens intact
- 8 red beets with the taproot and the upper inch of the stem to the greens intact
- 1.5 cups full fat thick Greek or Turkish style yogurt
- ½ lb butter, unsalted
- 1 cup pine nuts or hazelnuts, toasted
- 2 allspice berries
- Ground sumac, amount close to a couple pinches
- 2 each Cassia leaves
- ½ inch of Indian cassia bark
- Pickled rose petals in their vinegar
- 6 beautiful, vibrant, full sprigs of dill
Directions
1) Begin by very gently boiling the beets in heavily salted water until knife tender.
2) Cool in tepid water, do not cool to cold.
3) Remove the beets skin very gently as to not disturb the taproot, and peel around the stem very carefully as well.
4) Keep warm to mildly hot.
5) Caramelize the butter with the cassia leaves and bark and all spice berries until the smell resembles hazelnuts.
6) Strain and slightly season with salt.
7) Add the crushed nuts.
8) To arrange, spread the yogurt on the bottom of a platter fluffing out the edges with a spoon.
9) Sprinkle with some ground sumac and a bit of flake salt.
10) Lay the beets beautifully on the platter, entangling them, showing off their taproots, some reaching to the sky, others pointing this way and that.
11) Pour the caramelized butter and nut mixture over.
12) Only use what you want.
13) Sprinkle with salt and more sumac.
14) Tuck in the pickled rose petals, dripping their vinegar over the salad as this is the acid for the plate.
15) Consume.
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