Candy Cane Beet Carpaccio

+ my tips for planning a dinner party menu.

So, let’s address the elephant in the room… it’s the end of January and this is my 2nd post this month. I feel like January has passed me by in a blur (as it seems to do year after year), and I’ve also been stuck with some writer’s block, or in this case, recipe block. Thankfully though, like every rut that seems like a maze you just can’t find your way out of but always do, I’m finally finding inspiration again.

Party Spread, at Madame X

Some inspiration has come in the form of one of my favorite pastimes—hosting. I’m going to start a new series where I will give hosting tips, how I plan menus for dinner parties (or brunches, cocktail parties, picnics, really any gathering with food and/or drink, etc.), along with links to some of the recipes where applicable. This post is just a taste of what the series will be, starting off with a recipe from one of my recent party endeavors:

While I was no host this time, I recently cooked for one of my best friend and roommate’s Dr. Seuss-themed 25th birthday party. Her vision was whimsical, colorful, and filled with elevated childhood foods inspired by the rhythmic words of Dr. Seuss. She designed the event herself and executed it perfectly, and it was incredibly fun to plan and cook the menu.

I learned a lot through this experience and worked with foods I haven’t worked with before (always a daring risk to take when cooking for others, yet I somehow always do it… sometimes without executing it very well, but sometimes I end up finding a new favorite recipe). One of my favorite dishes of the night was a candy cane beet carpaccio inspired by the iconic cover of Oh the Places You’ll Go! The deliciously pastel swirls on its cover instantly reminded me of the natural swirls in candy cane beets. I was looking for further inspiration at my grocery store and found it in a Perilla vinegar, which led to the creation of a bright and vibrant beet carpaccio with a marriage of winter and spring flavors like cranberry, anise, fennel, shiso, and honey.

I roasted the candy cane beets, which diminished its swirls but provided a much more palatable texture than raw beets. I also sliced a few raw beets to layer with the roasted ones, so the beautiful and bright red swirls were still seen, as well as to offer two opposing textures—the soft resistance of roasted beets and the crunch of raw, fresh beets.

I used the perilla vinegar from Tart as the base of the vinaigrette, along with honey vinegar, a good olive oil, honey, a squeeze of lemon juice, and shallot. Perilla is a plant, also known as shiso, and the vinegar itself is minty and anise-forward in flavor. To play on the flavors in the vinaigrette, I garnished the carpaccio with pickled cranberries (pickled in mainly apple cider and the same honey vinegar in the vinaigrette), bee pollen for texture, toasted and crushed fennel seed to enforce the licorice flavor, and fried rosemary for more texture (also because I love the way it complements both cranberries and fennel). The whole dish was colorful, juicy, acidic, and incredibly texturally interesting.

I think this dish is beautiful for a late winter-early spring salad, side, or appetizer. Oh, and its red and pink color palette just so happens to be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Many of the ingredients that might be harder to get your hands on are easy to substitute, and I’ll include all the substitutions below!

Candy Cane Beet Carpaccio

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Candy Cane Beet Carpaccio

NOTES: Allow at least 3 hours for the cranberries to pickle, but preferably a full day/overnight. They will last in the fridge for up to a month in the pickling liquid as long as they are fully submerged. You can prepare all other garnishes a day ahead of time if needed.

If you cannot find Perilla or honey vinegars, substitute for white wine, apple cider, or champagne vinegar and blend in 1/2 tsp. of toasted fennel seeds and 1/2 tsp. dried mint (or 1 tbs. fresh mint) into the dressing.

Ingredients:

• 6 small candy cane beets, or 3-4 large (also called Chioggia beets - I found mine at Whole Foods - if you can’t find them, regular red or golden beets will also work just fine!)

• Olive oil

• Salt and black pepper

• 1/2 cup raw cranberries

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup honey vinegar (or sub for more apple cider vinegar)

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds (you most likely won’t use all of them during

• Bee pollen, optional

• 2 rosemary sprigs

• Olive oil or canola oil, for frying

Pickled Cranberries: Slice the cranberries in half and place in a metal or glass bowl. Bring the apple cider vinegar, honey vinegar, 1/3 cup white sugar, and 2 tsp. salt to a simmer until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Pour the liquid over the cranberries and allow them to cool to room temp before transferring to a jar or container and storing in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 1 month. Make sure they are fully submerged in the pickling liquid.

Fried Rosemary: Heat a shallow, even layer of oil in a small saucepan or frying pan, about 1/4 inch deep. Once lightly smoking, flash fry the rosemary sprigs for about 10 seconds on each side. You want them to remain green (not turn brown), while also becoming crispy. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Once cool, pluck leaves off the stem and store in an air-dry container with a paper towel.

Toasted Fennel Seeds: Toast the fennel seeds until fragrant in a dry pan over high heat, about 2-3 minutes. Let cool and grind into a course grind, either in a spice grinder, blender, or using a mortar and pestle. Keep in an airtight container or bag.

Roasted Beets: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rub the outside of 4 beets (2-3 if you’re using large ones, saving 1 large beet or 2 small beets to use raw) with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Wrap beets in foil. Place in a baking dish and roast until just tender and cooked through but still firm, about 25-45 minutes, depending on size. Use a toothpick or fork to check for doneness. Once cool, use the foil to easily remove the skin by keeping your hands on the outside of the foil and gently rubbing the beet with the foil until the skin peels away. This will keep your hands clean from beet stains.

TO PLATE: Very thinly mandolin or slice the beets and arrange in a circular pattern on a platter. Shave the remaining raw beets on the mandolin (or slice them thinly) and arrange them on top or in between layers of the roasted beets.

An hour before serving: Dress lightly with the vinaigrette (recipe below) and place in the fridge until ready to serve, allowing the beets to absorb the dressing.

When ready to serve, garnish with the pickled cranberries, fried rosemary, toasted and crushed fennel, and bee pollen. Serve cold or room temp.

Honey-Perilla Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Perilla vineger

• 1/4 cup honey vinegar

• 1 tbs. honey

• squeeze of a lemon

• 1/2 shallot, peeled

• 3/4 cup evoo

• salt and black pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Season to taste.

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