Balthazar Beet Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a sprig of thyme on top of each beet, season with salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle each beet with 1/4 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap each individually in aluminum foil. Coat bottom of a small cast-iron skillet evenly with 1 cup salt. Place skillet in oven, and roast beets until tender enough to be pierced with a sharp knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow to cool, and peel skin off beets by rubbing with a paper towel.
• Quarter leeks lengthwise, without cutting through the root end. Tie leeks together in a bunch with kitchen string.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch haricots verts until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove haricots verts from pot with a strainer or slotted spoon, refresh in ice bath, and drain. Blanch leeks in same pot until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, and cool to room temperature. Cut leeks through the root end, to make eight quarters; set aside.
• Heat remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts; toast until fragrant. Season with salt.
• On individual plates, thinly slice 1 beet per plate with a mandoline. Season beets with salt and pepper. Arrange haricots verts and leeks on top of beets, then add mache. Drizzle vinaigrette over each salad. Place two slices of goat cheese on each salad plate, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the beets into a large bowl, and drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Lay out 2 large squares of aluminum foil on a work surface, and place 3 beets onto the center of each sheet. Fold the aluminum foil into 2 envelopes, sealing the beets into the packets; place the packets into a baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check for tenderness after 1 hour by piercing a beet with a fork. Open the foil, and allow the beets to cool until they can be handled; peel, and slice.
• Lay out the spinach leaves on an attractive oblong-shaped serving platter. Sprinkle pieces of tomato and avocado over the spinach leaves, and top with chopped red onion. Lay the sliced warm beets over the salad, and top with crumbled feta cheese.
• Whisk together balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and Dijon mustard until smooth; pour over the salad to serve.

Steps:

• Roughly chop the lettuces and mix with fennel and radish.
• Blanch asparagus and haricots verts in boiling water until tender, 6 minutes. Transfer to ice bath, then drain.
• Add the asparagus and haricots verts to the greens. Separately, combine vinaigrette ingredients, shake and dress salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide the salad among 6 plates, topping each with a slice of ricotta salata, a wedge of avocado, some julienned beet and lemon zest. Finish with a pinch of breadcrumbs.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size, until a small sharp knife inserted in the middle indicates that they are tender. Unwrap each beet and set aside for 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Peel the beets with a small, sharp knife over a piece of parchment paper to prevent staining your cutting board.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and set aside. While the beets are still warm, cut each one in half and then each half into 4 to 6 wedges and place them in a large mixing bowl. As you're cutting the beets, toss them with half of the vinaigrette (warm beets absorb more vinaigrette), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings.
• Place the arugula in a separate bowl and toss it with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Put the arugula on a serving platter and then arrange the beets, almonds, and goat cheese on top. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette, if desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Wrap beets in foil and bake until tender, approximately 1- 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and when cool, remove skins and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Reserve. While beets are cooking, toast the walnuts in the same oven for 10 minutes. Cool and coarsely chop. Reserve. Prepare dressing by whisking together mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle oil in, whisking until thick. Set aside. Peel and cut pears in quarters and thinly slice. Toss with lemon juice. Add beets, walnuts and toss. Add greens and dressing. Toss. Sprinkle cheese over top. Season with salt and pepper if needed.