25 Comments

  1. i am going to get some today at my local farm which is still growing their own. great to know that just heavy foil and roasted for an hour. am going to do that. plus i always serve with chevre — it so works! may have to make this for lunch on a bed of fresh arugula ! thanks for the beet info. super blog! GG

  2. I am about to hit the farmers market so beets might just jump into my basket! What a great post – I had no idea beats were so popular in France! Another tip for the greens – sauté them with some shallots and golden raisins, a recipe I use for chard. Quite a wonderful combination! ~ David

  3. As a beet lover married to a beet hater was delighted to get your info on cooked beets. The salad sounds divine! We have noticed that when travelling in France it seems that the Amuse Bouche served in restaurants seems to follow a formula for that year and one year it was beets in many different disguises. Have you ever had a beet mousse? Beet hating husband lived through it but it didn't quite change his mind.
    Ginny

  4. That was a GREAT story and pictures to pay tribute to the "Ugly gnarled" beets lying in the produce bin anxiously awaiting for the Princess to choose them for her Royale Party. Alas and alack, it is now broccoli that is the chosen one and is the king of vegetables.

    Beets were a staple in our family. We had them hot and buttered the first night and sliced and cold with sliced red onions dressed oil vinegar the second night.

    Your story reminded me of how beets were once the end me. It was close to my wedding day when I discovered that, sadly, like so many heroines in those days (Cathy of Wuthering Heights) and I were doomed to die young. I knew that because I had noticed the tell tale "blood" and knew that, like Cathy and Heathcliff, I would die before my wedding. As I prepared my mother for my departure, she laughed and reminded me of what we had eaten for dinner the night before. It might have been funny if I hadn't spent so much time writing my Obit !!

  5. Life-long beet-hater here. BUT your pictures and narrative are mouth-watering. Served with chevres, walnuts and vinegrette has even my mouth watering. I still have trouble shaking the taste of dirt and metal of canned beets, but I'm getting over it. Love them in winter roasted in the bottom of the turkey roasting pan, with chunks of carrot, potato, Brussels sprouts, favoring gold beets, with only one red one thrown in. Luscious with fat and the ruby stains on the other vegetables are gorgeous as stained glass. But June is no time to think of that… except among our friends south of the equator.

  6. Tastes "earthy"? Did you mean like "dirt"? Another life-long beet-hater here. I know I should work them in to my diet, but, THAT would be work! I welcome any advice! Still, a nice post.

  7. Susan: Your "beet" posting strikes a chord. Whenever I've had a vegetable garden here on Long Island I've grown beets and appreciate how good they are freshly dug. I come from a country that has traditionally appreciated the beet (actually "beetroot" in the English-speaking world outside North America). My 88-year old brother in England is still growing beets and cooking them in the way we did when we were growing up – one of the few treats he can still offer me when I visit. I confess I've never in my life roasted a beet – our preferred method of preparatiom is boiling. Boil without removing the thin root portion, and leave about 3 or 4 inches of stalk attached, otherwise color intensity will be lost. When you can rub off the skin with your thumb they're done – about 30 to 45 minutes according to size. Cool, cut of the thin root end and the stalks, rub off the skin, slice and add salt, pepper, a little sugar, and malt or balsamic vinegar.
    Australia is the ultimate heaven for beet eaters. Sliced beets come with everything. You want a corned beef sandwich – it comes with beets. You want a turkey sandwich – it comes with beets. You want a cheese sandwich – it comes with beets. You don't ask – it just comes that way, rather as in this country pickles will come with a pastrami sandwich.
    And Susan, I can from experience endorse your warning – don't have beets for a couple days before any sort of medical examination.
    One final tip – add a beet if you want pink mashed potatoes.
    Brian.

  8. When we were in Lourmarin recently, we ate lunch at the Auberge des Sequins. They presented, on a white square plate, about 8 perfect little servings of various yummies. My favorite was a mousse of roasted betteraves. If you can ever coax the recipe out of them, please let me know! All I know is it involved pureed beets and creme fraiche. Merveilleuse!!!

  9. Hi Susan,

    Have to admit have only had beets from a can. Never knew all the health benefits. Am going to try roasted beets, that is something I can do, thanks for the fun lesson and info.
    Lillian

  10. Dear Susan,
    You have really hit the jackpot here! This is, second only to the crusty ficelle, the reason I fly each year to France…and I will tell you that as a first course, either hot or cold ( I prefer hot) I barely steam the greens in butter and plop the sliced roasted beets with a soupçon of vinegar and tiny sprinkling of raw sugar and some butter on the top of the mound of wilted greens…life does not get better!
    Fondly,
    Lin
    Sent from my iPad

  11. Hi GG,
    It's as if those three ingredients were made for one another! I hope your salad was terrific! Thanks for your kind words, too!
    Cheers!
    Susan

  12. Ah, the greens–they really don't get enough attention, do they? With shallots and golden raisins, they sound wonderful–and pretty!

    Your recipe for Seared Tilapia with Beet Risotto and Citrus Beurre Blanc is mouthwatering!

    Best,
    Susan

  13. Hi Ginny,
    So funny to read about couples of beet lovers and beet haters! Make sure to read Cocoa and Lavender this week for another funny story of a beet hater and a beet lover who live together! And, David features a wonderful recipe that convinced his partner to eat beets!

    I have not had a beet mousse. Another reader (see below) wrote about beet mousse. I will have to make some!

    Good to hear from you and thanks for writing!

    Cheers!
    Susan

  14. Hot buttered beets! Sounds delicious! About ugly gnarled beets, at the Farmer's Market in Carlsbad, California yesterday, I saw the biggest and gnarliest beets I've ever laid eyes on. They would take a mighty long time to roast!

    Regarding the red colored "waste products," that can be frightening. To discover this before your wedding date must have been particularly unnerving. It's a funny story now though! Thanks for sharing it!

    Best regards,
    Susan

  15. Sounds like you will not be able to call yourself a life-long beet-hater for long! I agree that the gold beets are particularly appealing — I know they should taste the same, but they seem a little milder to me, which is sometimes nice! They do marry very nicely with turkey–your description makes me yearn for my favorite holiday.

    Thanks so much for your comment!

  16. I received many emails, some directly and some posted here, from people who used the word "dirt" to describe beets. You are not alone! Maybe in juice form? Read below!

    Thanks and good luck!

  17. Hi Lillian,
    Do try roasting them! After you scrub them and dress them the way you like to, just wrap them up in foil, throw them in the oven, and forget about them….until their sweet fragrance reminds you that a wonderful meal is coming soon!

    Thanks so much for your comment!

    Cheers!
    Susan

  18. Hi Brian,
    You have convinced me that I should try boiling them! Maybe when you come to visit, you will cook them as you andyour brother do!

    We have a lot of readers from Austrailia…maybe they will chime in on their country's love of beets. I think a slice of beet on a turkey burger sounds particularly good!

    And pink mashed potatoes! I've got to try that for valentine's Day!

    Cheers!

  19. Hi Kirsten,
    Auberge des Seguins–one of our favorite restaurants! I have not had their roasted beet mousse. I am wondering if Ginny who posted a comment above, went to the same restaurant. I must go there!

    I also want to tell you again about how much I loved your photos of the roses in Lourmarin! TMT readers who want to see them can go to Kirsten's blog, La Dolce Vita: Living the Good Life in California's Mediterranean Climate.

    Thanks for your comment!

    Cheers!

    Susan

  20. Susan – Kirsten just let me know about the mousse aux betteraves she had in Lourmarin! We definitely *need* to figure out how to make this! I will start researching now! ~David

  21. David,
    Ah, wonderful. If anyone can get to the root (pun intended!) of this mousse, I know you will. Towny was going to call Auberge des Seguins, but I dont think he has. You can simply recreate it on your own! Looking forward to hearing more!
    Best,
    Susan

  22. Hi Lin,

    Wilted greens topped with beets dressed with a wee bit of vinegar and raw sugar and butter AND a piece of ficelle….sounds great!

    Really good to hear from you! Hope to meet again at Cafe Gaby!

    Warm regards,
    Susan

  23. Hi Susan,

    Thanks for the beet info. Just so happens that I had some (yellow and red) roasting in the oven as I read this.

    Also beets are very healing to the liver. My brother had cirrosis of the liver and extreme hepititus. The doctors told him over 30 years ago he would only have 6 mo. to live. He starting juicing raw beets daily and healed his liver. He still juices them periodically now.

    Well I can't wait to come to Provence in Sept. and I will definately look for the beets!

    Aloha,

  24. Hi!
    Thanks so much for this interesting information about the health benefits of beets. I have never had beet juice but am inspired to make some now!

    What a coincidence that you were roasting beets when the blog on beets arrived in your mailbox! I hope they were good.

    Let us know how you enjoyed the cooked beets in the French markets!

    Thanks so much for writing.

    Warm regards,
    Susan

  25. I'm so glad you explained these lumpy beets-disguised-as-fungus to me. I'm eating one now and it's amazing. I'm in southern France now and honestly thought it was a type of mushroom the first time I saw one in the produce isle!

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