Talk About A Spectacular Combination!
Here’s a summer side dish that oughta perk up your tastebuds. I could easily eat this weekly during the summer months. Think about it. It’s earthy from the beets, both sweet and tart from the fruit, salty and a little funky from the feta cream, and oniony from the chives. It’s such a superb combination of flavors and textures.
When I was getting ready to make this I remembered an article I had read about roasting beets. I’ve always roasted mine at 375° – 400°. But this article said there is a profound difference in flavor if you kick up the heat to 425°. It explained that the sugars in the beets caramelize much more intensely at that higher temp, so I gave it a shot. I drizzled on some olive oil, salt, pepper, added a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary, wrapped them up in a foil packet, and kept them in the oven for an hour.
I couldn’t wait to taste them and see if I could discern a difference in flavor. After they’d cooled and I rubbed off the skins, I sliced into one and gave it a taste. Well, there is definitely an improvement in flavor, a big improvement. The beets are more intense, sweeter, and deeply flavored. I will always roast my beets this way from here on out. I love learning new techniques like this. It’s what keeps cooking exciting. And I made sure to reserve all the beet drippings because there’s a whole lot of flavor in those juices.
While the beets were roasting I made the easy feta cream dressing. It’s only a matter of adding feta, buttermilk, heavy cream, and lemon juice to a blender and blitzing everything until it’s smooth and creamy. A little salt and pepper was all that was needed.
I’ve mentioned in the past that good feta cheese is worlds apart from the stuff that’s sold for a cheaper price in grocery stores. If you can find an imported sheep’s milk feta, that’s what you want. My grocery store carries it and it’s very much worth buying. The cheaper feta tastes only of intense salt and has a rubbery texture, whereas the sheep’s milk feta has a distinct flavor of dairy with the funkiness of the sheep’s milk, along with a much creamier texture.
Now, as to the stone fruits, whatever looks best is what you’ll want. I really like the combination of plums, peaches and nectarines in this, but you could just as easily use all of one kind. It will still be delicious.
I’ve got a big pot of onion chives growing right now, so I snipped off a bundle, along with a nice bloom, which besides being tasty would be perfect for garnishing the dressing.
After layering the sliced beets and fruits on a platter, I spooned on a little maple syrup, which added a lovely layer of flavor, along with the reserved beet drippings, sprinkled everything with salt and pepper, scattered on the chives, and called it done.
This is so incredibly delicious. It’s perfect with anything you put on the grill, as well as a roast chicken or even a bought rotisserie chicken. I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating that there’s no reason for side dishes or salads to be afterthoughts. More often than not, they’re the stars of the show on my table. And for good reason. With a platter of this in front of you, who cares about the rest of the meal?
Beets and Stone Fruit with Feta Cream
4-6
servingsRoasted beets, sliced plums, nectarines, and peaches are served with a dressing made with feta cheese, buttermilk, heavy cream, olive oil, and lemon juice. Drizzle a little maple syrup on top of the beets and fruit, along with the reserved drippings from the beets, add plenty of snipped chives, and you've got one fabulous summer side dish!
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Ingredients
1 bunch red beets (1 pound), scrubbed clean
Large sprig or 2 of fresh rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil
Morton Kosher salt
Black pepper
3 stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, plums, etc.), fully ripe, each sliced into 8-10 wedges
6 ounces feta cheese
3 ounces buttermilk
3 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup (10 grams) fresh chives, snipped into1/4 inch pieces
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425° with a rack in the middle. Trim off the tops and bottoms of the beets. Place the beets and rosemary on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Seal the foil and place in a small baking dish. Roast in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for a half hour until the steam inside the packet has subsided. Break open the packet of beets and let cool until they’re comfortable to handle. Remove the rosemary, but save all the juices. Using a paper towel, rub off the skins of the beets. Slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Set aside.
- Combine the feta, buttermilk, heavy cream, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a small bowl and chill until you’re ready to serve.
- Layer the sliced beets and fruit on a platter. Drizzle with the maple syrup and reserved beet drippings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and scatter on the snipped chives. Serve with the feta cream and Enjoy!