Ashed Chevre with Slow Roasted Beets and Red Beet Vinaigrette

My next dish is a variation on a recipe created by renowned chef Thomas Keller. Thomas Keller is responsible for two of the top restaurants in the US, Per Se and The French Laundry. This dish was taken from the French Laundry cook book, with a few minor variations. The original recipe calls for red and yellow beets, but I was only able to source red beets. The recipe also creates the vinaigrette from beet juice, but lacking juice or a juicer I pureed the beets instead. This recipe is very basic and is a simple illustration of how these two ingredients compliment and contrast each other.

The sharpness and creamy texture of the ashed chevre slides in perfectly alongside the subtle and slightly sweet flavour of the beets. The puree also has red wine vinegar and white sugar added to provide that sweet-sour balance, which really pulls the two ingredients together. The leaf you see in the photo is from the beets and is a nice addition with a similar flavour to baby spinach, with a slight hint of bitterness.

I love dishes like this that ooze class alongside simplicity. It reminds me of a dish I had at Taillevant in Paris which paired Forme Ambert ice cream alongside a stewed plum.