Whenever someone tells me that beets taste like dirt, my heart breaks a little.
At first I attributed this to the fact that some people don’t like any vegetables, and that my precious beets were not to blame. Then I thought it was just that these people didn’t know how to prepare them, and that it was all their fault.
But then when Sarah of Wisconsin from Scratch told me that she didn’t eat beets—the woman who turns every undesirable vegetable into gold—then I knew that something had to be wrong. I started doing some research and it turns out like cilantro, some people are genetically predisposed to tasting dirt when they eat beets. They’re not crazy, they’re just more sensitive to geosmin, a organic compound found in beets and smells like “freshly plowed earth…after a rainstorm.”
I most definitely do not have that sensitivity, as I tend to want to throw a beet on just about everything. Which is exactly what I did this weekend.
I’m never one to test a recipe on unsuspecting guests, unless those guests are my parents. So this weekend when they visited, I tried this beet and fennel galette with walnuts out on them. Consensus was that it tastes delicious, not at all like dirt, although my dad did ask where the second course was after I served this with a salad.
I blame that more on his spoiled life of four course meals every night rather than anything I did wrong. My mom really does it make it impossible for anyone else to impress him with dinner. Anyways, the galette is perfect cooled slightly right out of the oven, but it is also great served cold, the next day, with a dollop of sour cream on top.
The dough is one I’ve used before (stolen from Smitten Kitchen) and is fool-proof. You can make it a day or two ahead of time or just stick it in the fridge while you make the filling.
And of course, the color. A beautiful contrast of purple and white and green when you top it with fresh herbs. Maybe if I can convince her, Sarah will even take bite. Will report back.
- 1¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ pounds beets, greens trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup walnuts, crushed
- 10 mint leaves, chopped
- 10 basil leaves chopped
- ½ cup sour cream
- 6 ounces goat cheese
- 1 egg yolk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- In a food processor, combine flour and salt. Add in butter and pulse until small pebbles form.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, and water. Add to food processor and pulse until mixture comes together and forms dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to two days.
- Bring a medium-sized saucepan of salted water to boil. Add in beets and cook until they soften, about 20-30 minutes, depending on size. Beets don't need to be cooked all the way through, but you should be able to pierce them with a fork relatively easily.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Let beets cool. Peel off skins and grate on a box grater or in a food processor. Transfer to bowl.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in onion and cook until translucent. Stir in fennel and garlic, season with salt, and cook until fennel softens.
- Add fennel mixture to bowl with beets. Stir in walnuts, herbs, and sour cream.
- Roll out dough into about a 12 inch round. Place vegetables in the center, leaving about a 1½ - 2 inch border around the sides. Use your hands to scatter goat cheese evenly across the top. Fold the edges of the dough in, overlapping where there is extra.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and a drop of water. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until dough is nicely browned. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Yum! I love galettes in the summer too! They’re pretty much my favorite way to clean out the produce drawers before I pick up my next CSA box.
writes Carissa SerinkMine too :)
writes VickyLooks lovely, I must try it. I do test recipes on guests, lately beet and feta samosas from Made in India cookbook. All my guests love to try new foods!
writes AnneYou’re braver than I am – it stresses me out too much to make a recipe for the first time for guests!
writes Vicky[…] Beet & Fennel Galette with Walnuts // Beet, Fresh Onion, Fennel // If you can handle making the pie dough (which I know I ask far too much of you lately), this beet and fennel galette is sure to be a favorite. It comes together quickly and honestly the filling is so lovely I could see myself just eating that on a lazy day. Beet, fennel and walnuts. I swear there’s nothing better. […]
writes CSA Week 5.In case anyone else is using this recipe years later (and you should – it’s great): I’ve made it twice and been frustrated by the overly sticky dough. Based on another galette recipe I use from Smitten Kitchen, it should be 2 teaspoons lemon juice not tablespoons! I’m mostly writing this as a reminder to myself next time.
writes Kate