For my final stab at the beet-centered recipes from Kitchen Play‘s July menu sponsored by Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Beets, I thought I’d try the Pickled Beets with Herbed Goat Cheese created by Lana of Never Enough Thyme. She had me at beets. And goat cheese.
I couldn’t find any kumquats, so I substituted candied tangerines, and used their zested peels in place of lemon zest in the herbed cheese mixture. These look lovely, so they’d be great for a party, but are also quick & easy enough for solo snacking.
Pickled Beets with Herbed Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tangerine, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large basil leaf
- 4 oz. goat cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 tsp. tangerine zest
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh basil
- dash of salt
- dash of ground black pepper
- 1 jar Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Baby Beets
- 2-3 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Instructions
Make the candied kumquats:
- Slice tangerine into thin slices (about 3-4 per fruit) removing all seeds as you work, then cut slices into fourths.
- In a small, heavy-bottomed pan place the water, sugar, basil leaf and prepared tangerine slices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat swirling the pan occasionally to help the sugar dissolve. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Remove pan from the heat and allow the tangerine to cool completely in the liquid.
- Drain the slices and set aside until needed.
Make the herbed goat cheese:
- Combine the goat cheese, tangerine zest, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Prepare the beets:
- Drain the liquid from the beets and place them on absorbent paper towels to drain briefly.
Assemble:
- Prepare one cracker for each serving.
- To each cracker, add approximately 1/2 teaspoon of herbed goat cheese. Top with one whole Aunt Nellie’s Baby Pickled Beet (or half of a regular sized pickled beet) and a slice of candied tangerine. Garnish with a sliver of finely julienned fresh basil.
For more recipes like this one, check out the Domesticity page.
