Beet

About

Beets are dense and bluntly sweet, needing long boiling, with an earthy flavor and a tendency to stain everything they touch. Golden and pink-and-white Chioggia varieties exist alongside the traditional crimson root, though the classic beet remains most common. Its appeal lies in the combination of sweetness and earthiness, which pairs well with predominantly sour or salty ingredients, such as goat cheese. Beet greens carry the same flavor and can be used in salads or cooked like spinach.

Pairs well with beet

• EaPotatoPotato and beet mashed together make a pink, sweet and earthy dish.
• SuEggBeet and egg are used together in the "kiwiburger," a New Zealand McDonald's item launched in 1991 that also included pineapple; beet and…
• CiOrangeAt The Fat Duck, chef Heston Blumenthal serves an orange-colored jelly candy flavored with beet (made from golden beets) alongside a…
• FrAppleA sharp apple tempers beet's earthy richness, a mix of roughly one part diced apple to two parts diced cooked beet, skin left on the apple…
• RoChocolateChocolate beet cake is a popular recipe, but the strong cocoa flavor tends to overwhelm the beet, leaving only a trace of its earthiness…
• CrCoconutBeet pairs well outside its usual northern European context with tropical ingredients like coconut.
• MeBeefBeef and beet combine in New England red flannel hash -- corned beef, beets, onion and potato fried together, often topped with an egg --…
• MePorkA 19th-century French recipe for barszcz (borscht) combines beef, smoked pork ribs, ham, mushrooms, onions, leeks and beet juice into a…
• EaCuminBeet and cumin share an underlying earthiness but otherwise contrast strongly: cumin's smoky, citric edge enlivens beet's sweetness.
• SuOnionBeet's sweetness is offset by raw onion; cooked onion develops its own sweetness that can be balanced with vinegar, as in a beet and onion…
• MaOily FishIn Scandinavian and Baltic cooking, beet is commonly paired with salty fish, especially herring, along with onion, potato and apple,…
• ChGoat CheeseTangy goat cheese balances beet's sweetness, a pairing that became especially popular in recent years, appearing in soufflés, tarts, panna…
• WoWalnutRoasted beet and sweet potato chunks combine well with broken walnut pieces mixed into cooled cooked red quinoa (which itself has a…
• BrAnchovyBeets' natural sweetness pairs well with salty ingredients like anchovy, goat cheese, and capers.
• GrDillDill and beet are a long-established pairing in northern and eastern European cooking, historically sold bundled together at markets in…
• MuCaperSweet beet and tangy caper resemble a honey-mustard combination.
• MeLiverChef Fergus Henderson notes that venison liver, though expected to taste strongly of iron, is actually sweet and delicate, and recommends…
• MuHorseradishMild, sweet beet tempers sharp horseradish.