BURRATA WITH MARINATED BEETS AND TOASTED MACADAMIA NUTS

I might be a little crazy. Full steam ahead I had it all planned out. The dish was fully formed in my head. I had only read of burrata. I anticipated something creamy and refreshing. Those wonderful Italians always know best. Macadamia nuts were almost like candy. No wonder they work so well with white chocolate. Beets were everywhere; the market had gone mad with sweet, robust beets. Summer salad leaves also popped up everywhere. This dish created itself; it was a no-brainer. I put myself through the paces, sketched, imagined, refined, prepared and executed my dish. I sat down to taste and I paused, what the hell was I doing? Can I really say I “cooked” here? Is this really a recipe? No stove, no oven except to toast a few nuts. More than that, it was cheese, a beet, a few nuts, and some leaves. Had I gone mad? I’ve come this far. I had to try it at the very least. I burst into the burrata with my trusty spoon; the cream oozed out and seductively began jostling for position with the rich beet marinade. I had a spoonful, cheese and beets and summer leaves and citrus vinaigrette and wonderful macadamia nut. I wasn’t crazy at all; it was as satisfying a mouthful as I could hope for. I realized, five years ago, there was no chance in hell I’d have the confidence to think this would work.  I suppose that’s my point here really; trust yourselves, and even if you might be a little bit crazy, who isn’t?

INGREDIENTS (serves 4):

·         2 medium beets, peeled and sliced with a mandolin

·         4 tbsp olive oil

·         1 tsp red wine vinegar

·         2 tbsp honey

·         4 burrata parcels

·         20 macadamia nuts

·         salt

·         black pepper

·         1 tsp lemon juice

·         Salad leaves including beet leaves, swiss chard, and

-          Combine 3 tbsp olive oil,  vinegar, and honey in a bowl

-          Layer in the sliced beets and allow to marinate for 2 hours

-          Toast macadamia nuts in a preheated oven at 350°F 

-          Place one burrata parcel in the center of each plate

-          Sprinkle over some freshly ground black pepper and season the cheese with salt

-          Scatter a few nuts around the burrata and layer the beets on each nut, generously spoon some marinade over

-          Surround the burrata with the salad

-          Mix the final tbsp of olive oil with the lemon juice, season lightly, and drizzle over the cheese and salad

MARINATED BEETS WITH GOAT'S CHEESE AND BEET DRESSING

Jason Atherton’s cookbook “Maze” is probably one of the more visually stimulating cookbooks I have come across. Jason spent time working with world class chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Pierre Koffman, Nico Ladenis, and Ferran Adrià. He is now considered a world class chef in his own right with two ventures currently operating, one in Shanghai called Table no. 1, and the other is the Pollen Street Social in London.The idea for the menu at the Maze restaurant was Jason’s, a synthesis of east/west flavors combined into a modern take on tapas. Just flipping through the pages of the book one gets the feeling that to have eaten at Jason’s Maze would have been a special experience. Relating to this recipe, Jason writes of Gordon once saying to him “to be a true innovator you have to be copied, and not to copy someone else.” This recipe speaks volumes of the creativity he possesses. I have never had a complaint when serving it in my home, not once, and that includes avid antagonists of beets. It is no wonder that this dish was considered a signature dish in the restaurant.

INGREDIENTS (6 servings)

·         3 large beets, peeled

·         2 tbsp butter

·         1 thyme sprig

·         Sea salt and black pepper

·         200g soft goat’s cheese (or ewe’s milk ricotta or fresh goat curd)

MARINADE:

·         75ml olive oil

·         2 tbsp chardonnay or other white wine vinegar

·         2 tbsp honey

·         1tbsp superfine sugar

·         1tsp thyme leaves

DRESSING:

·         1 tbsp Cabernet Sauvignon or other red wine vinegar

·         3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

·         Few pieces of butter

·         1tbsp toasted chopped pine nuts

METHOD:

·         Using a mandolin thinly slice 2 of the beets, and use a 5cm pastry cutter to stamp out small discs until you have 36 discs. Set aside the trimmings.

·         Mix ingredients for marinate in a bowl, add the beet discs one at a time, and chill overnight.

·         Cut the 3^rd beet into thin sticks or a fine dice, again saving the trimmings.

·         Place all the beat trimmings into a pan and barely cover with water, bring to the boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer for 20 minutes.

·         Heat the butter in a pan, add the thyme, season the beet sticks with salt and pepper then add to the pan to fry for a few minutes, tossing occasionally until tender. Drain off excess butter and let cool on plate lined with paper towels.

·         Season the cheese with salt and pepper, beat with a fork, and place into a pastry bag.

·         For the dressing, strain off the juice from the pan and discard the trimmings, returning the juice to the pan to boil vigorously until you attain a syrupy consistency at which point you cool then mix with the red wine vinegar and olive oil, and season to taste.

·         Heat the butter in the skillet and add the pine nuts. Toss until golden, let cool on paper towels, and then roughly chop and add them to the beet dressing.

·         Serve by placing 3 discs on each place, piping a mound of cheese on the middle of each disc, spooning a few beet sticks on top of each mound, then covering with another marinated disc. Spoon over the dressing and garish with micro leaves to serve.