This is not a diet dish! Full of luscious heavy cream and fresh ginger, this is a treat. The beets will add a deep shade of pink to the cream sauce. To make the dish easy to put together, roast the beets and reduce the cream a day ahead and reheat the dish quickly at the last minute before serving. The roasted beets and reduced cream may be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve with fish, chicken, pork, or steaks.
8 medium beets
1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Sea Salt with a little crispness, such as Cyprus Black flakes for color or Cyprus White flakes if you prefer no color.
Freshly ground black pepper
A few thinly sliced scallion greens or snipped chives
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Trim the beets leaving about 2 inches of stem. Scrub the beets, prick the skin in a couple of places, and place directly on the oven rack. Bake them for 30 to 45 minutes or until the beets are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Cooking time will depend on the size of the beets. Transfer to a rack and cool until you are able to handle them. Peel the beets and cut into wedges. Place them in a bowl and set aside.
While the beets roast, combine the ginger and cream in a saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream until 2/3 cup cream is left. Strain and add cream back to the saucepan. Add the reserved beets and reheat together over medium-low heat. Season with sea salt and a bit of pepper if you like and serve.
Variations
Add 1/2 cup orange juice and 2 strips of orange zest to the cream with the ginger and reduce to 2/3 cup liquid.
You may mix and match vegetables to the ginger cream. Add roasted carrots, parsnips, or onions alone or in combination with the beets.
You may use the ginger cream as a sauce for sweet potatoes or winter squashes.
For a rich dessert, use as a sauce over fruit tarts, poached fruit, or cakes.
Recipe and Photograph Copyright Deirdre Davis 2016
Use of content requires permission.