Beet It!

Another crop coming into its own this week: beets!


This is a couple four-foot rows' worth, but we also remembered that we had more back in our cold frame bed. Those are old and big, but we added them to the mix anyway. The big ones just got cut down into manageable pieces for roasting:


I have to admit, I'm not the world's biggest beet fan, but I did have a bite of one of these raw, and it was very, very sweet, and not too earthy. Kirk roasted this batch up in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour. He put them in a pan with a bit of water and covered it with foil. The water helps to avoid char beets and gets gorgeous results like this:


What to do with them now that they are ready? We turned them into a light, summer supper with more puff pastry magic:


We're calling this a Red and Blue Tart: the beets are the red; the blue is crumbles of blue cheese on top. I love anything as a vehicle for blue cheese, but Kirk found it a little strong for the beets (he really, really loves beets, though, and would rather taste them than anything else). This was pretty filling, and delicious to boot.


Served on the side: pink and blue salad. It's a regular salad with some beet greens, radish slices, and pink nasturtium blossoms for the pink, and borage flowers for the blue. The ferny bits are dill, which we finally have, and which I love in salad.  

All in all, a colorful dinner for a hot summer night!

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