Goat Cheese & Roasted Beet Amuse Bouche

I will give a breakdown of the Christmas Eve Sauerbraten dinner soon, but before I get to it I'd like to make special mention of a last-minute addition to the menu: an amuse bouche of herbed goat cheese sandwiched between stacked slices of roasted beets. I topped them with a dollop of crème fraiche and a tiny sprig of thyme and drizzled a balsamic reduction on the plate.


Good God, it was good.


And look!

The beet juices seep down into the goat cheese, turning it a vivid hot pink! I absolutely loved that aspect of it.








I love the idea of an amuse bouche: a little tidbit of something to tantalize the diner's palate. It should be something that leaves the eater wanting more.

A teaser.


Besides, it's just fun saying "amuse bouche."

Say it and giggle with me.

Goat Cheese & Roasted Beet Amuse Bouche

Ingredients:

• 3 beets
• canola oil
• salt
  
• pepper
  
• 1 4-0z log of goat cheese (chèvre)
  
• Crème fraiche (If this is not available you can substitute sour cream)
• sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup of Balsamic vinegar
• 1 T butter
  

Directions:

1. Roast the beets: Preheat the oven about 350. Wash the beets very well, with a pastry brush, coat them with olive oil and give them a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper and a grinding of sea salt.
   
2. Place the beets on a large sheet of aluminum foil and close it up into a packet. Place the packet in a roasting pan and roast for about an hour until you can slide a knife point in the beet easily.
3. Once the beets cool, slide off the peels and cut into thin 1/4-inch slices.
   
4. Assemble the stacks: Spread goat cheese on one beet slice, then stack another slice on top of that, spread some goat cheese on that one and top with one more beet slice.
5. Wrap tightly with some plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble - a few hours to overnight the longer you wait, the better it will be.
6. Make the balsamic reduction: Bring 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to low and let the vinegar reduce down by about half to a thick syrup. Stir occasionally. Take it off the heat and add a tablespoon of butter and whisk until melted and incorporated.
   
7. When you're ready to plate them, unwrap the stacks and cut into a neat square, then cut in half.
   
   So, 1 beet and goat cheese stack using 3 layers of beet and 2 layers of goat cheese will yield 2 portions for an amuse bouche.
8. Place a dollop of crème fraiche on the top of the stack and garnish with a tiny sprig of thyme. Drizzle a bit of the balsamic reduction around the plate and serve.
   

Notes:

1. When I was making these I taste-tested a few of the edges as I cut them off. No joke, I think my eyes rolled back into my head and I groaned when I tasted them. So yeah, this is a keeper.
2. If I were to do anything differently, I might add a little bit of sea salt to the top of the stack before adding the garnishes.
   

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