Endive Salad with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese  - Diane Rossen Worthington Recipes
Endive Salad with Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese

This Endive Salad with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese recipe combines the best of winter's produce. I like the sweet beet flavor contrasting with the mildly, bitter Belgian endive and the creamy, slightly pungent goat cheese. The vinaigrette includes balsamic vinegar and lemon juice that adds a more complex flavor to the dressing. I am a fan of grainy Dijon-style mustard (also called whole-grain mustard) in salad dressings because it adds texture, thickness and a savory flavor. This salad is a nice beginning to an elegant dinner.

Belgian endive, pronounced "on-DEEV" and identifiable by its tight stalk, is different from what English speakers often refer to as endive (pronounced "EN-dive"), which is a green leafy lettuce of the chicory family. Belgian endive stalks are most often used in salads but are also delicious baked or grilled.

Belgian endive is grown on almost every continent, and worldwide production exceeds a half-million tons annually. California Belgian endive is now available across the nation and can be found in both a creamy pearl color and a ruby-red variety.

[ Also: Belgian Endive Salad with Pear, Pecans and Gorgonzola ]

Endive Salad with Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese Recipe

    Prep Time: 15 minutes

    Cook time: 45 minutes

    Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Endive Salad with Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese Recipe Ingredients

    2 whole beets

    Dressing:

    1 medium shallot, finely chopped

    1 tablespoon grainy mustard

    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

    1/2 cup olive oil

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    Salad:

    8 Belgian endive, sliced thinly lengthwise

    1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Endive Salad with Roasted Beets & Goat Cheese Recipe Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Trim and scrub the beets. Place beets in a small roasting pan and add 1/4-inch of water. Cover pan with foil, place in oven and roast beets for 45 minutes, or until fork-tender. When cool enough to handle, use a small knife to remove skins. (If you have rubber gloves, use them so your hands don't turn red; also put the beets on foil when you peel them to protect your countertop.) Cut into julienne slices and reserve.

    2. For the dressing, combine the shallot, mustard, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking until blended. Add the salt and pepper, taste for seasoning and reserve.

    3. In a large mixing bowl, toss the endive with half of the dressing. Divide the endive among the individual plates; decorate with the beets and with the goat cheese. Serve the remaining dressing on the side.

    Advance Preparation: This may be made through step 2, covered and refrigerated up to 6 hours ahead.

[ Also: Belgian Endive Salad with Pear, Pecans and Gorgonzola ]

Belgian Endive Tips

-- Choose crisp, firmly packed heads that are white or pale yellow in color. Red endive should be bright colored with no wrinkled leaves. If the endive is very green it might be bitterer than the lighter colored endive stalks.

-- Store endive in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. I like to wrap the stalks in paper towels in a lock-top plastic bag.

-- Wipe the outer leaves with a damp paper towel. Remove any torn or damaged leaves, trim the bottom and use them as the recipe suggests.

Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

 

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Belgian Endive Salad Recipe with Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese - Salad Recipes

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