Rick Bayless is chef of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo in Chicago, creator of Frontera gourmet foods, cookbook author and host of Mexico - One Plate at a Time.

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RICKMAIL - sign up for our email list From the Kitchen of Chef Rick Bayless

Recipes from the Test Kitchen - Starters, Soups & Salads

Wedding Beet Salad

Serves 8
Wedding Beet Salad

 Although there are many beet salad recipes around,  Brian (our Chef de Cuisine) added some special twists to his version.  He combined the beets with apples, which gives this salad a great balance in both flavor and texture.  Brian also used a sweet sherry vinegar, which takes this salad to a whole new dimension.  Since sweet sherry vinegar isn’t available in grocery stores,  I’ve used aged sherry vinegar with a little instant dissolve sugar.  You might have to search to find sherry vinegar in your neighborhood, but it’s worth the effort.   It’s actually my favorite vinegar and can be used in place of balsamic in many recipes.  This recipe is called Wedding Beet Salad since Brian created it to serve at his own wedding. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds red beets
1 1/2 pounds Honey Crisp apples (you can substitute your favorite crisp apple)
1 small red onion (1/3 cup), thinly sliced, rinsed under cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 ounces sherry wine vinegar
1 tablespoon instant dissolve sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 ounces blue cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the clean whole beets on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife easily penetrates the beet.  Allow to cool, then using plastic gloves and paper towels, rub the skins off.  Cut the beets into a small dice and place into a large bowl.

Peel, core and dice the apples into similar size pieces and add to the beets along with the red onion slices.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. This can be done ahead. 

Just before serving, crumble on the blue cheese.

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