I have been mulling this post over… for quite a while. Well actually, for a long while. My confession: I bought this blog last March. I have had many ideas and I have written out the posts, but nothing seemed right. I have cooked endlessly. I have found recipes I wanted to share. I have read, watched, listened and listened some more. I found the books, and movies and shows, and articles, and songs and albums that I wanted to share, but never did. Was the wording right, were the pictures ok*, is this recipe or content relevant, will anyone care? Then I realized, two things. Namely that I care, and I should be confident in that and hope that my passion for the content helps foster some of that in you. To the second point, I need to share an short anecdote.
In first grade, my mother bought me the the first Harry Potter book. I loved it! Harry and I were always in the same grade. Each year, I would wait for the next book to see how Harry fared in our year. Around third grade, the market (and my Christmas tree) was flooded with Potter/Hogwarts merchandise. You grow up and realize that most of that stuff is over-hyped, overpriced, cheap junk. There was one gift though, that survived the last 16 years, my Harry Potter snow globe. When I received the gift, I was horrified at my mother’s choice, Snape and Harry standing opposite a cauldron. My response was not ungrateful, but rather surprised at what she failed to realize, “Mom, why would you give me something with Snape in it, he’s…mean.” Today, as I stood at my bookshelf, I looked up at that snow globe, and smiled to myself. Once I read through ALL of the books (and I won’t spoil the end for you), Snape became my favorite character. And as I stood there, grateful for my good sense to both keep the globe and to display it, I said to myself, well it turned out perfectly, didn’t it?
It took me at least 8 years to appreciate that snow globe. Maybe, it will take me 8 years to appreciate my posts, but in the end, there is no point in waiting for perfect. That small snow globe reminded me, you just have to run with things and wait to see how they turn out. With that, I want to share my first recipe 🙂
*Another early disclosure: I am an AWFUL photographer. This has been a major kink holding up the whole process. I wanted nice pictures, but I have come to the point where I stopped letting the less important details hold me back. I will either go ahead with adding the awful pictures in the hope that I a) get the point across and that b) with the practice, I eventually get better OR as is the case today, I will share a random, but pretty picture that I find in my personal archives or online. Today, when I opened Google Chrome, Momentum shared the above, as today’s quote. Given the circumstances, it was perfect! P.S. I am an unabashed quote lover [insert cringe here]
Thomas Keller’s Beets
Lately, I have been trying to eat and pre-prepare more fulfilling meals. My focus has been on making squash, quinoa salad, anything that can be tossed in a mason jar and easily grabbed as I run out the door. In addition to roasted squash, I love having roasted beets around. You can jazz up so many different plates, like salads, just by cubing some beets and throwing them in.
Early Disclosure: Thomas Keller is probably my favorite chef… ever. His Ad Hoc cookbook is high on my list of cookbooks that I wouldn’t want to live without. As I perused through his book, I found this recipe or, more appropriately, technique. It is so simple, but amazing!
Also, in his sidebar, he mentions that he combines white vinegar and maple syrup to make a dressing for his beets. This sounds gross, or at the very least un-excitable, but it is SO EXCITING! This simple combo amps up the flavor of the beets and makes the “earthy” beet taste more than manageable. I apply this to many other veggies too. I drizzle it on my sweet potato, I dip beet cubes into it, and I drown my butternut squash in it. The trick is simple, made with everyday household ingredients, and can be made in such small portions that I HIGHLY recommend you try this trick, even if you choose not to make the beets.
Maple Dressing/ Dip/ Drizzle
Bits (otherwise known as Ingredients)
2 parts Maple Syrup
1 part White Vinegar
Pieces (otherwise known as Procedure)
Whisk to combine syrup and vinegar.
The Beets
Bits
- 4 beets (any color/kind)
- 1 Tbsp of safflower oil (or other vegetable oil, like canola, but NOT olive)
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Aluminum foil sheet (enough to make a packet that encloses the beets)
- Salt and Pepper
- Baking Sheet Pan
- Paper Towel (Don’t miss the easiest trick for peeling beets!)
Pieces
- Preheat oven to 350ºF convection or 375ºF if using standard oven
- Cut off stems and/or leaves.
- Scrub/wash beets well.
- In a large bowl, toss the beets with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Take aluminum foil sheet and slightly fold up the edges (to prevent juices from running off)
- Dump beets and their oil out onto the middle of the sheet.
- Place the pat of butter between the four beets.
- Fold aluminum foil over the beets and crimp the sides to make a packet.
- Put in oven ~40-45 minutes or until beets are fork tender
- Take pan out of oven, let rest. When cool, cut the top off the beet.
- You can then remove the skin easily by lightly rubbing the beet with a paper towel from cut end toward the bottom.