Orange Beets (Orange Seasoned Roasted Beets)

A variation on roasted beets, this iteration sees the beets cut into bâtonnet instead of wedges, and a combination of orange juice, orange flower water, and vinegar is used instead of straight vinegar. Be careful with the orange flower (a.k.a. orange blossom water) as it is quite strong, and leaves a bitter taste when too much is used.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch beets, stems trimmed to 1-inch, scrubbed well, especially amongst the base of the stems

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar

A very few drops (not more than 1/8^th teaspoon probably) of orange flower water*

3-4 fresh thyme sprigs

Oil as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Heat oven to 400°F. Rub beets with oil and put into a piece of foil big enough to enclose them. Scatter with salt and pepper and place the thyme sprigs in the packet. Add a couple tablespoons of water, and seal the packet. Place packet into a heat proof dish and put into the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool enough so you can handle them without burning yourself.

While waiting for the beets to cool, whisk together the juice, and vinegar. Whisk in a drop or two of the orange blossom water, then taste. Do this until the juice/vinegar mixture has a subtle aroma of the orange blossom water, and maybe a little taste of it, then stop.

When the beets are cool enough, slip the skins off, using a paring knife on any stubborn bits. When peeled, cut off the tops and bottoms so the beets are even. Using a very sharp, thin bladed knife, Trim the perimeter of the beet into a rough square if seen from straight down. Cut the beet into ¼ x ¼ inch “sticks”, using the longest part of the trimmed beets as the length of the “sticks”.

When cut, toss the beets into the orange juice/vinegar mixture and marinate for at least a half-hour, but not more than 3, or there is a chance the orange juice could start breaking down the beets. Be sure to turn the beets periodically so they all spend time in the marinade. If using right away, drain and use. If storing, drain almost all the marinade and add a little vinegar back in. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Yield: Enough for 4 salads

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen