Stuffed Beet Confit with Cranberry Apple Gastrique

It all started with one beet pining for company in the fruit bowl; it was empty inside.  The potatoes, bread and garlic tried their best to keep the beet from withering away, but with no success.  Molecule by molecule, the beet released its tears into the air.  It refused to hydrate, slowly dying.  Each day the beet reached out for help, rolling closer and closer to the precipice that is death.  Just as the beet was about to take the step from which it could never return, a strong, full-of-life tuber grabbed the beet, saving it from certain doom.  The tuber reasoned with the beet, convincing it that rehydration was possible, not with water, but oil. 

The beet, however, was still empty; it needed something the tubor could not provide.  It had a wild side that needed to escape.  It had a sweet side that needed to be loved.  It had a rich side that needed to be shared. It had an earthy side that needed to be expressed.  And, most of all, the beet had colorful side that needed to be seen.  Little did the beet know, just outside its bowl, hidden from view, were companions that would soon fill its hollowness. 

For the next two days the beet lamented that it would never be full of life. On the third day, the beet's depression broke.  All day the beet rehydrated in a warm bath of olive scented oil.  The bath removed the beet's old, scaly, grumpy shell, revealing its soft and tender side.  Feeling rejuvinated, the beet opened its heart to the world around it, finding friends in all places; the frigid arctic, the shallow streams, the chthonic undergrowth, the kazakh mountains, and the herbacious wood.  Together with these new friends, the beet rejoiced, feeling warm inside. 

Yet, over the beet a cloud still hung, it was warm and happy, but needed more.  As the beet pondered its last desire, a torrential downpour began.  The rain covered the beet and its friends, soaking them win their own desire.  As quickly as the downpour began, it ended.  Leaving the beet and its friends with rich rewards.

That is the story of my stuffed beet confit with cranberry apple gastrique, and here's the recipe:

Beet Confit (or beet poached in oil):
2 Beets
Lots of oive oil

Stuffing:
1 Medium apple, diced
1 C Wild rice (uncooked)
1/2 C Fresh cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp dried sage
1/2 C Shredded gruyere cheese (I used swiss, but gruyere would be better)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Inexpensive wine pairing
$11/bottle

  Cranberry-Apple Gastrique (buttery goodness):
  1 C Cranberry juice
  1/2 C Apple cider vinegar
  1 Tbsp Honey
  1/2 C Chicken stock
  6 Tbsp Unsalted butter
  1 Tsp Cayenne (optional)

  Garnish
  Apple slices


Preparation

Cook the wild rice and let cool.

To make the beet confit, rinse the beets off and dry them thoroughly.  Place them in a baking dish with sides 2 inches taller than the beets.  Cover the beets completely with olive oil and cook in a 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes until tender with a fork.  Remove from oil and let cool.  Once the beets are cool, remove the skins, they should peel off with relative ease. Using a melon baller, or spoon, hollow out the beets, leaving a 1/8" - 1/4" of beet on all sides.

To make the stuffing, sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil -- you can use the olive oil the beets cooked in.  Let the onions and garlic cool and then combine them with half of the wild rice, the apple, mushroom, rosemary, thyme, sage, gruyere, salt and pepper.

To make the gastrique, place the cranberry juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey in a pan and simmer until reduced to a syrup.  Add the chicken stock, reduce by 1/3.  Without boiling, swirl in the cold butter to thicken to desired consistency.  Add cayenne.

To assemble, use the remaining rice and cover the bottom of a chafing dish.  Stuff the beets with the stuffing and place on the bed of rice.  Cook the beets in the oven, 350°F, until warmed all the way through and the cheese is melty. Add apple slices to one side of the chafing dish for garnish (see picture).  Drizzle the cranberry-apple gastrique over the completed dish and serve.