Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with Maple Walnuts

Today was a beautiful sunny day, followed by a beautiful rainy afternoon. I love this combination and that’s (one of the reasons) I find Amsterdam so magical, it incorporates the two so naturally. I also just couldn’t stop adoring these beautiful flowers I got from myself that started to open up this last weekend, spreading a sweet fresh fragrance around the house.

Similar to my love for sunny and rainy weather, you might have seen a contrast pattern in my blog when it comes to sweet and salty combinations. It’s true, I love it. Well, this Beet & Goat Cheese with maple glazed walnuts is a perfect first coarse dish that combines the sweetness of roasted beets with a fine balsamic vinaigrette, along with the deep tartness of creamy goat cheese and then topped with crunchy maple walnuts.

Make ahead and combine in a perfect meal

Wether you are hosting a dinner party, invited to a picnic or just hungry and in need of a good lunch – this salad will see you through.

I love that I can roast the beets, combine with coriander and vinaigrette as well as glaze the walnuts all days in advance, then I can put it all together whenever I need to, plate it nicely with touches of goat cheese and the dish is fresh and ready in no time.

This makes a light first coarse meal to be followed by a heavier main dish and can easily be made vegan if the goat cheese is not added, this is great when you have vegans/vegetarians around the table (which happens a lot in my house) because you don’t need to end up making another dish entirely and they are enjoying the same dish as the rest of the guests.

Let’s talk about cheese

If you are going to be using cheese (which I strongly recommend), then you should know the sweetness of the beets, maple walnuts and vinaigrette is balanced perfectly specifically with spots of semi-aged goat cheese.

I love goat cheese because it has this earthy flavor, a bit tangy with a hint of lemon and always clean and fresh. For this recipe I use bûcheron cheese which is a goat milk cheese that is semi-aged, it ripens for 5-10 weeks and normally produced as short logs that are sliced and sold as small rounds in food stores.

You can see the beautiful two textures. The fat creamline on the edges forms beneath the bloomy, edible white rind, a perfect visual of ripening in action. This line will not reach the center, leaving a soft but semi-firm in texture middle that is fresh, fluffy and lemony chevre for contrast with the creamy fat. Here in Amsterdam you can find this cheese in any local supermarket next to the specialty cheeses.

How to make it?

Start by roasting your beets. Pick medium beets that are still firm. Cover in foil and place in a warm oven for about 30-40 minutes. Gently pierce with a fork to check when it’s ready, it should be easily punctured but not entirely soft. Remove from oven and let them cool in the foil. When cool to the touch, the skin can be easily peeled of. Then just cut the beets in even cubes.

Chop some coriander finely and mix together with the beets. To make the vinaigrette, mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, date honey (or bee honey),  and freshly ground salt and pepper. Mix it all together and chill atleast an hour so the flavors can absorb.

Roast your walnuts by placing them in a wide pan on medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. Move them around to prevent burning.

Add 1 tablespoon of real maple syrup for every 1/2 cup walnuts

I use this one, but really any real maple syrup will do.

Let the walnuts caramelize with the maple syrup, move them around the pan to prevent burning

Allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container

And finally, whenever you’re ready for it, just arrange on a plate and add touches of goat cheese pieces (hand crumbled) all around. You can garnish with some fresh coriander and a balsamic reduction.