“We have so many farmers that grow great beetroot down here, I’ve even had an ancient variety grown just for us – the crapaudine beet,” says Analiese Gregory. “Generally we are pretty lucky and can get amazing yellow, chioggia and red beets easily. This is how I like to eat them. I’ve used salted elderberries and blackcurrant vinegar because these are some of my pantry staples that I preserve throughout the year when the ingredients are readily available.”
At Franklin, Gregory adds kunzea (myrtle) to the beetroot while roasting and makes her own blackcurrant vinegar and salted elderberries; we’ve included substitutes.
Ingredients
Method
1.Preheat oven to 160°C. Place half the beetroot on a piece of foil large enough to enclose them. Drizzle with half the olive oil, add a sprig of thyme or kunzea, season to taste, and enclose to make a parcel. Repeat with remaining beetroot. Bake until beetroot are tender when pierced with a knife (45 minutes to 1 hour; see note). Cool, then peel and thinly slice.
2.Whisk crème fraîche in a bowl with chives, lemon zest and juice, and bottarga until soft peaks form.
3.Whisk vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil and salted elderberries in a bowl to combine.
4.Spread crème fraîche on a flat plate, arrange beetroot slices on top, dress liberally with vinaigrette and top with tarragon to serve.
Kunzea, a type of myrtle, is available from select nurseries. Bottarga is available from select fishmongers.
To make blackcurrant vinegar, add a few frozen blackcurrants to good-quality sherry vinegar.
Salted elderberries can be substituted with small fresh or thawed frozen blackberries sprinkled with salt.
* Beetroot parcels can also be cooked buried in coals.
Wine suggestion 2015 Tschida “Himmel auf Erden Rosé” cabernet franc, Burgenland, Austria. Wine suggestion by Forbes Appleby.
Notes
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