Most people don't think of winter being citrus season, but it is the most wonderful time to grab all of the beautiful heirloom varieties of citrus you usually can't get most of the year- cara cara oranges, meyer lemons, blood oranges, kumquats, and sumo oranges to name a few. Certain root vegetables like beets and carrots actually have a mechanism that is activated when the cold weather comes around that turns their starches into sugars once the ground gets cold, making them even sweeter and more delicious in the colder months.  This is one of those moments of the year where things perfectly overlap to create one of my all time favorite dishes.  I really look forward to this one every year.

Ingredients & Instructions:

Beets: 

2 # beets, any color or a mix (find ones that are all around the same size so they cook at the same time)

Pickling Liquid:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup cider vinegar

1 TBSP pickling spice (optional) this can be whole cloves, peppercorns, coriander, etc.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Lightly rinse your beets if they are extra dirty to get the dirt off.  Remove the tops (if they’re on there) and save for another use.  I personally love them sautéed with butter. Place beets in a baking dish with ½” of water.  Wrap with foil and bake 1-2 hours, until beets are for tender.  While the beets are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the pickling liquid in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and let the spices steep for 15 minutes.  Remove the beets from the oven once they’re tender.  Once cool enough to handle, gently wipe the skins off with a paper towel.  They should come off with little effort once they’re baked long enough.  Cut your beets into quarters and place in a non-reactive container.  Strain the pickling liquid over them.  Set aside in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Citrus: (this can be a mix of whatever you can get.  I’ve chosen these 3 to have a nice variety of color & tartness, but feel free to try other citrus types as well)

1 Meyer lemon

1 blood orange

1 cara cara orange

You can do the citrus in one of two ways- they can be supreme or you can slice them into wheels, but each way requires starting with the same instructions.

Start with a very sharp knife. Trim the fruit's ends just enough to see the fruit at the top/ bottom; set a flat side on a cutting board. Starting at the top of the fruit, place the blade where the fruit meets the pith, and following the shape of the citrus, remove the peel and pith from top to bottom.  Repeat with the rest of the citrus fruit until all the peel and pith have been removed, trying to stay as close to the pith and removing as little fruit as possible during the process.

Supremes:

Set the fruit on its side. Cut toward the center, along a membrane. Then slice along the adjacent membrane until the cuts meet, releasing the segment. Transfer the segment to a bowl. Repeat.

Wheels:

Once the fruit is peeled, slice crosswise into ⅛-¼” thick slices. Set aside.

Whipped Goat cheese:

6 oz goat cheese, softened

¼ cup good quality olive oil

Pinch salt

Whisk together all the ingredients. Set aside.

Assembly:

When ready to serve, smear 2 TBSP goat cheese on the plate.  Place strained beets and citrus segments over top.  Garnish with some whole pink peppercorns and toasted pistachio (optional).

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