Pink Lemons & Golden Beets

In the midst of my cold, a friend dropped by with a goodie bag full of some beautiful produce from Central Market in Houston: an assortment of baby squash, a bunch of golden beets, and pink lemons (bless you, Alva).

Before I get to the beets, a few words about the pink lemons: I had never seen or heard of them before, so I was excited to give them a try. They are beautiful when cut, revealing a bright pink interior. The scent was the same as most lemons, but with perhaps a slightly floral quality.

I wasn’t sure how to best get a proper taste (sucking a cut half straight up didn’t jump to mind), so I squeezed the juice and mixed it with a bit of powdered sugar; first I dunked my finger for an unfettered taste, and then drizzled some over two madeleines. The floral notes were more pronounced when mixed with the sugar; I really liked it, but I can see that it might be too much in some recipes. It was perfect in the icing drizzle on the otherwise plain vanilla madeleines.

I grated some of the zest from the second lemon—wow! Plenty of oomph, certainly more than ordinary supermarket lemons. I added some to the remaining icing to get a better sense of the taste. I found it sharper than ordinary lemon zest (the skin was harder/tougher than ordinary lemons; while I enjoyed the juice, I’m not sure I would use the zest). What a fun experiment, though!

After a bit of investigation, I found out that the first pink lemons (there are now several varieties) are the result of a chance mutation of another fairly common lemon, the Eureka Lemon, from my home state (California). In addition to the pink flesh, the leaves of the pink lemon tree can be variegated with shades of yellow, pink and green. If your curiosity is piqued, here’s the link to a New York Times article devoted entirely to unusual lemon, including the pretty in pink ones:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/dining/02lemo.html?oref=login

Now, on to the beets.

Many are passionate about beets, and that fervor spans the spectrum from adoration to loathing. Unfortunately, while I am closer to the veneration extreme, my husband is at the polar opposite. If there was a low point in our marriage, it was the day I “won” a case of pickled beets from a recipe contest I had entered. To quote Kevin, “beets are never a prize.”

I can sympathize with the loathers if canned or pickled beets are all they’ve ever tasted. But fresh, roasted beets are an entirely different story. Until I had them—roasted, cooled, and nestled in a mixed vegetable salad with ample amounts of fresh feta—I’d never imagined that the words delicious and beets had all that much in common.

The case for beets is further bolstered if those fresh, roasted beets are golden. With their sunny orange-yellow centers, golden beets have a sweet, earthy flavor far milder than their crimson cousins—enough to sway their most die-hard detesters, Kevin included.

There is a stellar recipe for golden beet soup from the December issue of Gourmet that includes a drizzle made from the beet tops. Here’s the link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240702

The soup is as gorgeous as it is healthful and delicious. I would have made it again, but I waited too long to use the beet greens (they look pretty sad at this point). So instead, it’s a beet & goat cheese sandwich, stacked with sweet onion and arugula on crusty bread.

If you live in a small town, as I do, and you love to cook and eat, you have to hunt and peck to find just what you need (and/or make day trips to Houston and mail order more rare items). Good bread is one of the more scarce items in town; I make it when I can, but who am I kidding, I need to buy it, too.

Praise heaven, it is available, once a week, from the local health food store; they make a special trip to Whole Foods in Houston and return with their bread bounty Tuesday mornings. Hence, Tuesday and Wednesday are typically bread-gobbling days for the lucky Nacogdoches few who get their loaves.

I got a crusty loaf this week, hence these decadent sandwiches. The only time-consuming part is roasting the beets, but the process couldn’t be easier (i.e., wrap in foil, shove in oven, close door). And the results will make you swoon. Goat cheese and beets taste like a marriage made in heaven. Don't take my word on this one--make the sandwiches yourself and start your own beet proselytizing.

Golden Beet & Goat Cheese Sandwiches

No need to make all four sandwiches at once; the marinated beets will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to three days (so make one or two now, more at your leisure).

1 amd 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 medium yellow beets, greens & very ends of bulbs trimmed off
8 thick slices of rustic-style bread (preferably from a round loaf)
6 ounces soft mild goat cheese, softened

1/2 of a small red onion, sliced very thin, rings separated
2 cups fresh, washed baby arugula leaves

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a medium bowl whisk the lemon juice, mustard, tarragon and salt and pepper to taste; whisk in 2 tablespoons oil. Set aside.

Wrap each beet in foil. Place beets directly on oven rack and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Cool. Peel beets (or rub with doubled paper towels to remove skin), then cut each into 8 slices. Place beets in medium bowl with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Turn off oven and preheat broiler.

Arrange bread on a large baking sheet. Broil 6 inches from heat 1 to 1 and 1/2 minutes, or until edges are golden. Remove 4 slices from oven. Turn remaining 4 slices over on baking sheet and spread thickly with goat cheese. Broil 1 minute more and transfer to plates. Top goat cheese with the beets (drizzle any remaining vinaigrette), onion, arugula, and remaining bread, toasted sides up. Slice each sandwich in half. Makes 4 generous sandwiches.

Nutrition per Serving (1 sandwich)
Calories 345; Fat 15.5g (poly 1.3g, mono 7.7g, sat 7.5g); Protein 13.6g; Cholesterol 19.6mg; Carbohydrate 33.8g; Sodium 522.9mg)
(Note: I did the nutrition analysis using Diet Analysis Plus 7.0.1)

Beet Nutrition Notes: Beets are high in fiber, folic acid, potassium, calcium and antioxidants. They also are excellent sources of copper and vitamins B1, B2, C and bioflavonoids.