If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that we love beets, and we are constantly trying fun new ways to cook them. So, when we had a bag of steel cut oats, a couple of beets, and two small cast iron Dutch Ovens/Ramekins laying around, we figured we’d continue with our tradition and come up with another new way!
For this one, we decided to combine two methods of cooking that we’ve used in the past to build something different. Essentially, we started with Risotto methodology and finished the cakes off with a Rösti style of cooking. In the end, we ended up with a beet cake that was nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Lastly, we had some Camembert left over from a Caramelized Leek and Brussels Sprouts Pizza we cooked the other week, so we opted to use that as one of the main ingredients in a sauce to complement the cakes! We served this as an entree with Roasted Asparagus.
Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients: (Makes about 3 Beet Cakes)
- 2 Medium Beets
- 1 Cup of Steel Cut Oats
- 4 Cups of Vegetable Stock
- 1 Onion
- 1/4 cup of All Purpose Flour
- For the Sauce:
- Dried Tarragon
- 1 Tablespoon of Butter
- 3 Tablespoons of Cream or Half and Half
- 1 Tablespoon of Camembert Cheese
- 1 Teaspoon of All Purpose Flour
Method:
- Bring your vegetable stock to a simmer.
- Dice your onion, and heat a pot with some butter in it. When the butter melts, add your onion, and let that cook until the onions become opaque.
- While your onions cook, peel your beets, and shred them with a box grater or the thin shredding plate of your food processor.
- Add your beets to the pot, and stir to combine. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in your oats, and stir to combine.
- Pour in your vegetable stock, and simmer everything for about 35-40 minutes or until your oats have fully absorbed the water.
- Pour your beet/oat mixture into a large bowl, and stir in your flour to thicken (this will keep your cake together).
- Melt a little butter in your small Dutch Ovens, and make sure to spread it up the sides. When it stops bubbling, scoop your beet/oat mixture until your pot is at least 3/4 full. Then, cook over medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes.
- As your beet cakes crisp up in the cast iron, turn your attention to your sauce:
- Add some butter and dried tarragon to a saucepan, and turn the heat on to melt.
- Turn the heat to low, wait a minute or so, and whisk in your cream.
- Let everything start to simmer a bit, and then add in your Camembert, whisking until it melts.
- Let everything simmer a bit more so all of the flavours can combine.
- After your 6-7 minutes of beet cake cooking, carefully, flip your beet cakes onto your plates. They should just fall right out of the mini-Dutch Ovens when you flip them upside down.
- Back to the sauce: Whisk in your sauce All Purpose Flour until smooth, and the sauce thickens a bit.
- Pour your sauce over your beet cakes!
- Devour, and enjoy!
