In this post, we’ll share some feedback from Chef Jessica and Chef Daniel about our farm-fresh beets and tie Daniel’s comments into something Chef Jamie Simpson from the Culinary Vegetable Institute is also currently focusing on.
(And, just in case you missed it, here’s what chefs have recently said about our farm-fresh kale varieties!)
Just Let the Beets Shine
Chef Jessica shares that the Four Seasons Hotel Boston’s approach to any Chef’s Garden item they purchase is to “really let the farm’s work tell the story and be the star. We just support and uplift that ingredient without overshadowing it.”
We appreciate that more than we can say, considering it the highest compliment. Jessica then gives us a specific example. “So, in the case of the beet of the night,” she says, “we use it in a salad that supports beets in every level of their growth. We dehydrate purple beets and grind them into almond flour with expresso powder to create a beef tart. Coffee roasted beets, beet blush, and beet of the night garnish give our diners the best in all of its forms, and its iridescent beauty lends color and personality to the structure of the dish.”
Thank you, Jessica! Here, you can read about Jessica and Jamie’s collaboration using fresh carrots from The Chef’s Garden.
Power of the Mixed Beets
Chef Daniel, meanwhile, shares why he loves mixed beets from The Chef’s Garden, and reasons include:
- variety of colors
- consistency of size
- flavor—most importantly, the flavor!
“I know when I am developing a dish that will feature beets,” he says, “the groundwork is laid first and foremost with The Chef’s Garden heirloom beets. The sweet and savory they bring to the palate is just right and sets them apart from all other beets.”
Interestingly enough, just last week, Chef Jamie from the CVI talked about how he loves balancing sweet and savory (calling it “savory” or an “ambidextrous dish”). So, it’s very helpful to hear from Daniel about how he also appreciates that balance.
Daniel says he’s been using farm-fresh beets from The Chef’s Garden for at least a decade and enjoys using them in salads. “The colors are just right for that use,” he said, “and the beets are really cool, fun to use.”
He has combined our beets with apples, chives, and sunflowers, with a buttermilk dressing and a dusting of ranch powder on top. “This created a salad,” he said, “that was similar to dipping veggies into ranch dressing.”
He’s also used our fresh beets with bison and apple chutney, appreciating the interplay between sweet and savory in that dish. After going to a restaurant with a North African inspiration (Jiko–The Cooking Place), he paired beets from The Chef’s Garden with a yogurt cheese called labneh, mint, sumac, Moroccan extra virgin oil, and radish. “It was sweet, salt, savory—and refreshing.”
And, we’ll end this post with how our conversation ended.
TCG: Is there anything else you’d like to add about our beets?
Daniel: Actually, yes.
TCG: Good! Please share.
Daniel: Don’t ever get rid of them.
TCG: Oh, we won’t!
Daniel: Good. I haven’t even experimented with your badger flame beets yet—and I really need to highlight them.