Beets With Goat Cheese

Last week I teased you with photos of "Beets with Goat Cheese" - and this week, I'm going to share my own very simple recipe. My desire to slice and layer beets and goat cheese all started with a trip to Spago of Beverly Hills - our friend Mark recently treated us to lunch at this very fine eating establishment, and one of the appetizers we shared for the table was Beets with Goat Cheese. Of course it wasn't called that, it had a fancy and expensive name: "Roasted Chino Farm's Beet Layer Cake, with Warm Sauteed Goat Cheese, Toasted Hazelnuts and Shallot Citrus Dressing."

I'm sure this would be amazing with your own roasted beets - but I've never roasted a beet, and wouldn't even know where to begin - so I use Trader Joe's Beets. They are found in the fresh produce section, and come in a vacuum packed bag, with a fridge life of about 2 months. I also bought a goat cheese from Trader Joe's - but you can be fancy and get a better goat cheese from your favorite cheese shop. Before you begin the beet preparation, put the goat cheese out to bring it to room temperature for easy spreading.

Wash and drain the beets, then thoroughly dry them. Once dry, cut one small end off the bottom - preferably where the root was attached, as this small section can be a bit grainy. The flat surface is essential to your tiering of the beet.

Next slice the beet into 5 or 6 slices - depending on the size of the beet. Re-stack each slice in the same position it was sliced off. You'll want to slice and stack all of your beets BEFORE you get your fingers all messy with the goat cheese application.

Lift all the layers off the bottom layer of the first beet; drop a dollop of goat cheese on the top of the bottom layer, and spread over the beet (I initially thought I'd be spreading with a knife, but after two layers of the first beet, I learned that dropping the dollop with the knife and then finger spreading is my preferred application method). Put the next layer on top of the first layer, and repeat the spreading process. Repeat for each layer, until you cap the tiered beet with the top slice. Use your finger to smooth out the goat cheese on the sides, and rub off any goat cheese from the sides of the beet layers (OOPS, I missed a little bit on the side!).

Repeat for each beet - then arrange them on a lovely serving tray. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Before serving, take out of the fridge to let the beets come back to room temperature. Serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar over each beet cake.

I also recommend serving with a steak knife, so you can slice easily through the beet and admire the inter layered tiers of beets and goat cheese.

DELICIOUS, and oh-so-pretty, too. Enjoy.