hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!
This month our cooking group takes on the challenge of making perfectly in-season produce shine; Beets.
I love working with beets and in this dish I used both red and golden varieties.
I decided to pair the beets with sustainable sushi-grade yellowfin tuna, another staple in my kitchen. If you purchase fantastic ingredients, your job as a cook is to do as little as possible and let them shine. Which is what I did here by serving the tuna raw.
My original concept for this beet challenge was gonna be a pasta dish. However, I always leave myself open for inspiration to hit. When it came time to cook, I was in the mood for a light dish and thus this dish was created; on the spur of the moment. Always keep your mind open in the kitchen, who the hell knows what may pop in there.
Let's attack each component in this course from the plate up...
1. Beet Sauce - Beet juice reduced by 75%, then mounted with butter and cut with white soy sauce. Silky smooth, sweet & tangy.
2. Beet Green Leaf - Adds to the presentation and keeps us in beet theme.
3. Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with Couplet of Beets - Raw sushi-grade yellowfin tuna with roasted golden beets, roasted red beets, and Fuji apple slices. All tossed in Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
4. Beet Cream & Goat Cheese - Beets and goat cheese are a perfect match, so I had to work it in somehow. A tiny final flourish of a roasted red beet cream, goat cheese, & chives.
This course was light, simple and elegant. Perfect for a hot Miami lunch rendezvous in the sun.
Please check in Friday for the complete round-up of amazing beet dishes from this most talented group. The round-ups are found on one of the best blogs on the net, my amazing co-host Natasha's 5 Star Foodie Culinary Adventures.
That's it for now...till we exchange a few words again...Peace!
It's such a gorgeous and elegant dish! Love the tuna, beets and apple pairing, and beetroot reduction is awesome. All of the components must come together so nicely!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning, Laz. I like how you used every part of the beet, including the juice to make that sauce.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully inspired and presented. I've never heard of white soy sauce but I definitely will be on the look out for it. Adding it to the beet sauce was the perfect complement to the tuna. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteP.S. You need to make a little badge with this sentiment so that it appears on every page of your blog. "Always keep your mind open in the kitchen, who the hell knows what may pop in there."
I agree with Faith's comment - I also like the AIDS-ribbon sauce design
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ReplyDeleteThis is a celebration of beets indeed! Fantastic how you've used every part of the beet - inspired. Your plating, as always, is absolutely stunning. Going to remember your kitchen rule, it's some of the best advice around!
ReplyDeleteLaz absolutely wonderful job on this beet dish!! It is one of the most beautiful dishes I've ever seen. Love the art of the leaf and sauce. The beet sauce sounds delicious - I definitely want to try that out. Incredible!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a presentation! Almost too beautiful to eat! I am loving your plating, the vibrant colors, wow! I'd say you hit a home run once again with this one Laz =]
ReplyDeleteSo awesome with the tuna, the presentation is stunning.
ReplyDeleteLove this, you outdid mine for sure!
ReplyDeletewow, looks beautiful and delicious! yum!
ReplyDeleteMy kind of dish. I was looking forward to seeing how all of you would use the beets. Great post.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful dish. Top notch restaurant worthy.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. What a way to give beets a fresh coat of paint. When I was a kid, the only beets I ever saw were in a can. They smelled just awful and I wouldn't touch them. Beets are a revelation when done right... this is right. I am loving tuna and beets... great combo and perfect presentation ( I am a little jealous of the hot Miami sun... still cold up North)
ReplyDeleteOooh..I'm drooooooling now..sounds divine..
ReplyDeleteTasty Appetite
I agree with other commenters who say this is one elegant dish. So good to leave yourself open to inspiration! And yes, this dish really does say Miami to me - that's a neat trick you pulled there.
ReplyDeleteI love a good beet. and a good beat haha. beautiful photo
ReplyDeleteHot stuff! I'm a big fan of raw tuna but I'm always too terrified to try serving it at home. I think this is a great pairing and super easy to do at home, myself :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLight and stunning dish as always, Laz. Love the beet sauce reduction. I just pureed my roasted beet last night and hoping I could get the dish done over the weekend.
ReplyDeletewhite soy sauce is magnificent... great choice! great presentation. muy sexy!
ReplyDeleteThe presentation is just stunning! The sauce sounds heavenly, and the combined textures here are beautiful! Love this :)
ReplyDeleteI am 100% behind what you said about doing as little as possible to allow quality ingredients to shine! This is my kind of dish: Simple + Sensational! Perfect for that hot rendezvous :)
ReplyDeleteComo me encanta yellow fin tuna. So delicious and I think under used. Great presentation. You even had it look like a fish. Great use of the root veg. Super bonito!
ReplyDeleteMiami lunch rendezvous in the sun. Count me in.
ReplyDeleteThe BEET challenge was one of the best yet.
Thanks for hosting such a terrific event.
Your dish rocks. Raw tuna + beet is an amazing pairing.
LL