Beet Salad with Cornbread Croutons and Country Ham

Name: Beet Salad with Cornbread Croutons and Country Ham
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 6 servings Aged balsamic vinegar; 12 inches diameter baby beets (preferably assorted colors), trimmed; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 0 teaspoons baking soda; 1 bay leaf; 6 Tbsps (3/4 stick) butter, divided; 6 Tbsps butter, melted; 237 milliliters buttermilk; 79 milliliters White Lily all purpose flour or cake flour; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt; 6 teaspoons coarse kosher salt; 6 servings Coarse kosher salt; 237 milliliters grind cornmeal; 85 grams very thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1 large egg; 6 servings Fleur de sel; 142 grams log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled; 118 milliliters fresh grapefruit juice; 59 milliliters fresh lemon juice; 1 Peel from lemon (yellow part only), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips; 6 servings Olive oil; 118 milliliters fresh orange juice; 1 Peel from orange (orange part only), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips; 4 teaspoons teaspoons minced plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley; 6 Tbsps peanut oil; 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper; 6 servings Cracked black peppercorns; 2 Tbsps sorghum syrup* or honey; 3 smalls sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Maui; about 1 pound), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

The recipe Beet Salad with Cornbread Croutons and Coun

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

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Oven

Mix first 6 ingredients in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.

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Glass Baking Pan

Add beets and toss to coat. Cover with foil and roast until beets are tender, about 45 minutes. Cool; peel.

Ingredients you will need

Beet

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Aluminum Foil

Place 9- or 10-inch-diameter cast-iron skillet in oven; preheat to 400F.

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Frying Pan

Oven

Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Melt 4 tablespoons butter.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

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Whisk

Bowl

Whisk melted butter, buttermilk, and egg in another medium bowl.

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Buttermilk

Butter

Egg

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Whisk

Bowl

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; whisk batter to blend.

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Whisk

Place 2 tablespoons butter in hot skillet; swirl to coat.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

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Frying Pan

Add batter.

Bake until top is golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in skillet. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.

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Oven

Frying Pan

Add enough water to small saucepan to measure 11/2 inches; bring to boil.

Ingredients you will need

Water

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Sauce Pan

Add orange peel. Blanch 1 minute; drain. Repeat blanching procedure with lemon peel; reserve lemon peel for serving. Return orange peel to same pan and add orange juice, grapefruit juice, and sorghum syrup. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until reduced to generous 1/3 cup, about 20 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Grapefruit Juice

Orange Juice

Orange Zest

Lemon Peel

Sorghum

Syrup

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Whisk lemon juice and mustard in medium bowl; whisk in oil.

Ingredients you will need

Lemon Juice

Mustard

Cooking Oil

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Whisk

Bowl

Whisk in orange-grapefruit reduction. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead.

Ingredients you will need

Salt And Pepper

Vinaigrette

Grapefruit

Reduction

Orange

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Whisk

Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat broiler. Line small baking sheet with foil.

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Baking Sheet

Broiler

Aluminum Foil

Place onion slices with rings intact on sheet.

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Onion

Brush with oil; sprinkle with coarse salt. Broil onions until browned, watching closely to prevent burning, about 10 minutes. Turn and broil until browned, about 5 minutes longer.

Ingredients you will need

Coarse Salt

Onion

Cooking Oil

Reduce oven temperature to 375F.

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Oven

Cut cornbread into 1/2-inch cubes. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Ingredients you will need

Cornbread

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Baking Sheet

Spread cornbread in even layer on prepared sheet. Toast until golden brown around edges, turning occasionally, about 35 minutes.

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Cornbread

Spread

Toast

Reduce oven temperature to 350F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange ham in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Top with another sheet of parchment paper, then another rimmed baking sheet to press ham. Roast until ham is crisp, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness of ham.

Ingredients you will need

Ham

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Oven

Remove top baking sheet and parchment paper. Cool. Break ham into bite-size pieces.

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Ham

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Baking Paper

Baking Sheet

Whisk 4 teaspoons minced parsley into vinaigrette.

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Vinaigrette

Parsley

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Whisk

Mix in reserved lemon peel. Quarter beets. Toss with some of vinaigrette (if using assorted colors, toss in separate bowls).

Ingredients you will need

Vinaigrette

Lemon Peel

Beet

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Bowl

Sprinkle with fleur de sel and cracked black pepper. Separate onion rings. Divide rings among plates in single layer. Arrange beets in and around onion rings.

Ingredients you will need

Cracked Black Peppercorns

Fleur De Sel

Beet

Onion

Sprinkle goat cheese over. Scatter ham and croutons over.

Ingredients you will need

Goat Cheese

Croutons

Ham

Sprinkle fleur de sel and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley over.

Ingredients you will need

Fleur De Sel

Parsley

Drizzle with some of remaining vinaigrette and aged balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients you will need

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Vinaigrette

A syrup made from the cooked juice of sorghum cane; available at specialty foods stores and at muddypondsorghum.com.

Ingredients you will need

Sorghum

Juice

Syrup

** A type of sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Ingredients you will need

Sea Salt

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

6servings

Aged balsamic vinegar 12inches

diameter baby beets (preferably assorted colors), trimmed 1teaspoon

baking powder 0teaspoons

baking soda 1

bay leaf 6Tbsps

(3/4 stick) butter, divided 6Tbsps

butter, melted 237milliliters

buttermilk 79milliliters

White Lily all purpose flour or cake flour 2teaspoons

coarse kosher salt 6teaspoons

coarse kosher salt 6servings

Coarse kosher salt 237milliliters

grind cornmeal 85grams

very thinly sliced country ham or prosciutto 2teaspoons

Dijon mustard 1large

egg 6servings

Fleur de sel 142grams

log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled 118milliliters

fresh grapefruit juice 59milliliters

fresh lemon juice 1

Peel from lemon (yellow part only), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips 6servings

Olive oil 118milliliters

fresh orange juice 1

Peel from orange (orange part only), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips 4teaspoons

teaspoons minced plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley 6Tbsps

peanut oil 2teaspoons

cracked black pepper 6servings

Cracked black peppercorns 2Tbsps

sorghum syrup* or honey 3smalls

sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Maui; about 1 pound), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices 6larges

fresh thyme sprigs 177milliliters

water

Recommended wine: Riesling, Sparkling Wine, Zinfandel

Riesling, Sparkling Wine, and Zinfandel are my top picks for Southern. In general, there are a few rules that will help you pair wine with southern food. Food-friendly riesling or sparkling white wine will work with many fried foods, while zinfandel is great with barbecued fare. The J.J. Prum Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett Riesling with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 22 dollars per bottle.