National Post (National Edition)
Size doesn’t matter
Small luxuries are perfect for New Year’s plate
For eons, the high-end solution for New Year’s Eve entertaining has been to offer an assortment of fabulous comestibles — caviar, smoked salmon, truffles. Like diamonds, these luxury goods never go out of style.
Oh, I suppose that’s fine if you like that sort of thing. Don’t get me wrong; I would consume the whole spread, were it offered. Twist my arm a little, I’ll eat caviar-topped blini all night. But for us mortals, there are other celebratory choices just as captivating.
Consider beets, for instance. Yes, luscious, seductive, sensual, sweet, incredibly delicious beets. They come in colours such as (obviously) beet-red, pale pink, ivory and dark maroon. Then there is the curious kind with concentric fuchsia stripes inside, revealed when the beet is cut horizontally.
Lately I am most enamoured of yellow beets, even more so when they are a bright, intensely golden hue. I love them on display at the market, tied into bunches. Medium beets, the size of tennis balls or a bit smaller, are perfect for cooking.
Depending on how much time I have, I cook them one of two ways: roasted or boiled. Roasting takes longer, at least an hour, if not more, concentrating flavour along the way. Boiling is simpler and takes half the time. Either method is fine. (You can also cook them buried in hot embers, but that is another story.) When the beets are fully cooked, the skins easily slip off, after cooling a bit. Just rub them away with your fingers to reveal the shiny innards, a rather pleasant task.
Surely by now you are convinced that beets are delightfully festive and deserve your rapt attention. Let me explain how to turn them into a New Year’s treat.
Slice the beets into half moons, and dress them with a somewhat vinegar-heavy vinaigrette. Gather some red winter salad leaves, such as radicchio, Treviso or red Belgian endive. Arrange torn leaves on plates and spoon the dressed beets over them, or keep the leaves whole and fill them like miniature seafaring vessels. A large leaf or two can be served as a first course; small leaves can be passed as hors d’oeuvres.
But we are not quite finished. Now add the fancy garnishes, suitably festive but more affordable than the typical trappings. Smoked trout filets, rather than slices of smoked salmon, are scattered over the beets. And for the caviar substitute, add delicate pinky-orange trout roe, glistening like pearls, and used in abundance. It’s not osetra, but who cares? They pop very nicely in the mouth. And the feeling is ever so extravagant.
SMOKED TROUT AND BEET SALAD WITH PINK CAVIAR
Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: For the vinaigrette: 1 small shallot, finely diced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil For the salad:
11/2 pounds medium yellow beets
2 tender celery stalks, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Salt and pepper Radicchio, Treviso or red endive leaves
5 ounces smoked trout filets, or more if desired
4 red radishes, very thinly sliced
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped (optional)
2 ounces trout roe, salmon roe or paddlefish caviar (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Dill sprigs, for garnish
Preparation:
1. Make the vinaigrette: Put shallots, mustard, lemon zest and vinegars in a small bowl and stir together. Season with salt and pepper. Leave for 5 minutes to macerate, then whisk in oil. Set aside.
2. Prepare the salad: Scrub beets, then simmer in abundant salted water until tender when pierced with a skewer, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. When beets are still somewhat warm, rub off and discard skins. Trim any rough bits with a paring knife.
3. Cut beets into half-moon slices, 1/4-inch thick, and place in a medium bowl. Add celery slices. Season with salt and pepper and dress with half the vinaigrette. Toss well with your hands to coat.
4. Arrange salad leaves on individual plates, then distribute beet mixture. Break smoked trout filets into rough 1-inch pieces and arrange over beets. Scatter a few radish slices over each salad. Add some chopped egg, if using. Sprinkle lightly with salt and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.
5. Top each salad with a generous teaspoon of trout roe and sprinkle with chives and dill sprigs.