Golden Beet And Fennel Salad With Gorgonzola Flan And Candied Pecans Recipes

GOLDEN BEET AND FENNEL SALAD WITH GORGONZOLA FLAN AND CANDIED PECANS

Steps:

• Wash and trim the beets. Put them into a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast until tender (time will vary depending on the size of the beets). Remove from the oven and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins, and cut them into quarters. Toss them in a bowl with the fennel, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley and oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
• Reduce oven to temperature to 325 degrees F. In a small skillet, toss pecans in corn syrup, sugar, cayenne and salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for 5 minutes, stir and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the candied pecans from oven and separate them with a fork.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow. Heat cream and half-and-half in a small saucepan over low heat, and add slowly it to the eggs. Stir in the Gorgonzola, chives, parsley, and salt and pepper, to taste. Put 6 ramekins in a baking pan and fill the pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Divide the flan mixture evenly between ramekins.
• Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake until the center of each custard is firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and put the ramekins on serving plates alongside some golden beet salad and candied pecans.

BEET AND FENNEL SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice off the beet leaves close to the tip of the beet. Discard the beet greens. Scrub the beets thoroughly, and then loosely wrap each one in foil.
• Transfer the wrapped beets to baking sheet lined with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Roast for 50-60 minutes. Check the beets every 20 minutes or so. If they are starting to look dry or are scorching on the bottoms, dribble a tablespoon of water over the beets before rewrapping. Beets are done when a fork or skewer slides easily to the middle of the beet.
• Cool the beets until they can comfortably be handled. Hold one of the beets in a paper towel and use the edges to rub the skin away. The skin should peel away easily; if it doesn't, the beets likely need to cook for a little longer. Slice the peeled beets into wedges.
• Combine the beet wedges, mache, goat cheese, avocado, and shaved fennel on a large serving platter and drizzle with basil vinaigrette. Sprinkle the pepitas on top and serve immediately.