Well, the fall weather didn’t last long (never does in Alberta). We are blanketed in snow and although Mairead is loving it, I have not enjoyed the snowsuit wrestling matches we’ve had the last few days. And to make matters worse Aaron is working out of town for 30+ days (barf, cry, pound my head against the wall). So on top of everything else I get to do, I also get to shovel and winterize my house all by myself. Can you sense my bitterness? Oh, and I broke my garage door today.
But at least I can cook.
Mairead and I spent the afternoon sledding and snow fort making (which is also a rarity in this part of the country). Actually it was me attempting to build a snow castle and Mairead telling me I was doing it all wrong. She runs a tight ship. Afterwards, Mairead and I headed inside for some hot chocolate and I whipped up a little snack. Mai was mostly interested in bread and butter but I had other plans; a roasted beet bruschetta with caramelized onion, goat cheese and arugula! Mmm mmm.
This appetizer can’t be beet! *ba-dum-bum-tsssh. Haha! I love a good pun. Oh God, there are so many coming to my mind right now…
beets me
I’m up beet
you beet me to it
drop the beet
dead beet
lettuce turnip the beet!
Okay okay I’ll stop! Haha!
Back to business. I first made this to have as an appetizer at Thanksgiving but with gorging on so much other food we had no room left for bruschetta so I took it home and had it for lunch the next day. What’s nice about using beets in place of tomatoes is that you can roast the beets ahead of time without rushing to serve it. Unless I can make bruschetta fresh, I find diced tomatoes get that mushy grainy texture after sitting for too long, especially once refrigerated. Blech! So the beets were a great substitute. With a quick assembly on the baguette, you can throw this on the table in front of guests in no time at all. Or in my case this afternoon, devour the entire thing yourself.
These appies are also very delicious served warm. I warmed the bread before spreading the goat cheese on and the beets were still warm from the oven and it was perfect. Enjoy folks!
Roasted Beet Bruschetta with Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese and Arugula
Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch thickness
3 Beets, peeled and diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp butter
pinch of salt
4 oz. goat cheese
handful of arugula
2 tbsp balsamic reduction
Directions
Preheat oven 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, toss diced beets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for approximately 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
While the beets are roasting, caramelize the onions by bringing your skillet to medium-low heat, add the tablespoon of butter then the diced onion, stir to coat. Cook on medium low heat for about 30 minutes stirring frequently.
Once beets and onions are prepared, combine in a medium sized bowl and toss together.
Assemble by beginning with a thin layer of goat cheese spread over baguette slices, topping with arugula and beet bruschetta. Lastly, drizzle with balsamic reduction. Enjoy!
By Three Happy Folk
Adapted From Feasting at Home
6 Comments
Yum!
So yum!
Just made this as an appetizer for supper tonight – delicious and easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
That’s great! Thanks Jess 🙂
I made this on the weekend for company and everyone raved about it. I somewhat doubled the ingredients and this used up the whole loaf. My only hint to goat cheese beginners like me is to make sure you get the cheese that’s in a tube and spreadable. I bought something that was round and in a container with a rind (looked like brie) along with a smaller tube to give me the amount I needed. It was still good but I definitely preferred the actual goat cheese.
Great! I love that you’re trying all my recipes Liane! Thanks for the feedback 🙂