Beet, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Beef Broth Soup

It’s chilly and dark outside, and I am in the mood for soup.  Not to mention – I had a big pile of roasted beets to use up. Beets are often paired with goat cheese outside of a soup, and with beef in a soup, as with Borscht. With an empty space where my wisdom tooth used to be, I’m going for foods that require little to no chewing at the moment, so Borscht, as much as I love it, was off the menu.

I decided to pair beets with both goat cheese and beef in broth form (it was actually broth made from deer bones, but if you don’t have those, beef is the perfect and most likely substitute), and added a little thyme as it just goes so well with all three flavors.  This makes a smooth, thick, colorful, satisfying soup.  Neither the flavor of the beef nor the goat cheese stands out.  They are like the supporting cast, keeping the beet from being to saccharine sweet by adding umami and depth with the broth and a balancing tanginess from the goat cheese.  This soup tastes of beets at their absolute best.

This makes a very thick soup.  If you like your soups thinner than this one, stir in a little extra hot water after you puree it.  So delicious.  It’ll make you want to keep beets around all of the time.

Beet, Goat Cheese, Thyme and Beef Broth Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
4 large beets, roasted*, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
100g /7 oz goat cheese**
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high, heat your olive oil and add the onion and carrot.  Cook until the onion is soft and translucent; about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.  Add the beef broth, water, and beets and thyme.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and add the goat cheese.  Using a handheld immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully pour the soup into your heat-proof blender container and blend until smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.  The reason I don’t specify an amount for salt in pepper here is that the seasoning level in beef broth varies a lot depending on the brand you choose.  I almost always make my own, and season salt it very lightly so I have better control later.  If you are buying beef broth, choose a low-sodium version if possible.

Pour into bowls and garnish with fresh time and a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 4 generously.

*If you need to roast the beets, here is how to do it:  Heat your oven to 200°C/400°F.  Wash and scrub the beets clean of dirt, but don’t peel or cut them.  Prick each beet several times with a fork.  Wrap each beet in aluminum foil and place on a baking tray.  Roast 40 – 50 minutes, or until they can be easily cut into with a butter knife. Remove from oven.  Allow the beets to cool enough so you can handle them (wearing thick rubber gloves is a good idea), and then peel the skin off with a vegetable knife or peeler.  Proceed with the recipe.

**I have used both soft chèvre and goat cheese in a firmer, log form for soup.  Both work quite well.  I don’t trim the edges off the goat cheese logs as it melts down and smooths out once you puree it, but if it bothers you, you can trim it.  Just make sure you allow for the extra goat choose to make up for the lost weight when trimming.

Salted Vanilla Caramel Sauce and Amarosa apples

Caramel and Apples.  A perfect match.

When I was in elementary school and junior high school, one of my favorite snacks to have after school in the Fall was crisp, tart apple slices with caramel dip.  Back then, my brothers and I used to unwrap a massive pile of Kraft caramels, open up a can of Eagle Brand’s sweetened condensed milk (of course there were and are other brands of caramels and condensed milk, but it seems we always used these), and melt them together over a double boiler until the caramel melted completely and combined with the sweetened condensed milk to form a pourable sauce.  Great stuff, we were convinced.

Though it’s been a while since I’ve made an afternoon snack out of this combination, I still love the flavor of caramel and apple.  There is something about the sticky, oozing, buttery sweetness of caramel that pairs so well with apples (and, well, ice cream and nuts or chocolate cake).  I don’t miss the Kraft caramels at all (good thing, as you can’t get them here anyway); even back in Seattle I had graduated from the Kraft caramels of my youth, costing a couple of bucks for a large plastic bagful, to Fran’s dark chocolate gray sea salt caramels (seriously, if you haven’t tried this, treat yourself to some luxury and buy a few – they really are the best), purchased for a couple of bucks each, and far more satisfying.

Nowadays, with Fran’s as far away from Finland as a bag of Kraft’s caramels is, I make my own version of dark chocolate covered gray sea salt caramels every year at Christmastime.  My friend and I get together in my small apartment kitchen and get an assembly line going.  We’ve gotten a bit better at it: though the caramels don’t match Fran’s in appearance, I dare say that the flavor is right where I/we want it to be.

That doesn’t solve the problem of caramel dip or sauce, though…until I realized with a delayed “Aha!” that with a few adjustments, the sugar mass that becomes caramels in my Christmas treats could, in fact, be made into caramel sauce.

So with a wisdom tooth surgery just around the corner, and the knowledge that I would be eating nothing but cold, smooth food like yogurt and buttermilk and instant oatmeal for a few days, I settled in to make some caramel sauce to match with crunchy Amarosa apples for a new version of my childhood favorite.  Yes, I know – I understand the irony of making a sugary treat just before visiting my dentist, but hey, life is about balance, and my balanced life includes the occasional treat.

This sauce is easy.  Very easy.  It’ll take a bit longer than the Kraft-condensed milk version, but the results are way better and so worth it.  Just watch the sugar so that the color doesn’t get too dark.  If you fail the first time; try again.  You’ll get the hang of it quickly, and you won’t need a thermometer at all.  If, once you’ve added the cream, the mixture seems too thick, add a little more cream.   Once you chill it, it may be too thick to pour: just heat it up.  I like my caramel sauce warmed up anyway when I pour it over ice cream or use it for apple dip.  Oh – and for those of you making pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie or chocolate cake for Thanksgiving Day – this is a wonderful addition to the dessert table.  Make a big batch and let people go happy pouring this over their dessert.

So here’s to a bit of indulgence.  If you’re going to indulge, it might as well be with the best caramel you can find, created in your own kitchen.  If you eat it with apples as I did, make sure to pair this with tart, crisp apples rather than sweet, soft ones to get the best contrast in flavor and texture.

Oh – and if you’re looking for a hostess gift, look no further.  Put this sauce in a glass jar with a pretty label, and you’ll be making friends and influencing people in no time.

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Salted Vanilla Caramel Sauce

2 1/2 cups / 7 dl white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon Maldon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely.  If any sugar crystals stick to the side of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to push them back down into the mixture.

Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to medium-high.  Allow the mixture to cook without stirring, until it turns a pale golden brown, about 10 minutes.  This means it is beginning to caramelize.

Now begin to watch the mixture closely as it transforms quickly from here.  Swirl the pan gently so that the sugar mixture cooks evenly.  Continue cooking until the mixture turns a dark reddish brown, smells distinctly nutty and caramel like, and begins to smoke just a little.  Remove from heat.

Stir in 1/2 of the cream.  The mixture will steam and bubble a lot – don’t worry; this is normal.  Once the bubbles have subsided a little, add the remainder of the cream and stir it in until it is completely combined and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the salt and vanilla until thoroughly combined.  All the mixture to stand and cool for 15 – 20 minutes.

Serve immediately, or store in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 weeks.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Smoked Salmon Salad on a baked potato with a side of steamed broccoli

Yesterday was Father’s Day in Finland.  And instead of us treating J’s father to dinner, he instead cooked for all 16 of us.  He’s a great cook, so a meal at his house never disappoints.  We gathered around the large table in the kitchen to share stories and laughter, watch the kids’ antics and enjoyed each other’s company over a meal of roast beef with rowan berry jelly, horseradish cream and gravy; his own smoked salmon with dill sauce and lemon, baked potatoes, roasted carrots, rutabagas and cabbage, a beautiful salad filled with fresh fruit, blue cheese and pecans, and some wonderful fresh bread. And even though there was a big crowd of people, we couldn’t keep up with the vast quantity of food despite valiant efforts and several plate refills.

Leftovers like these are a good problem to have, so we cheerfully said “Yes!” when he offered to send some home with us.  The recipe I share with you here was made in part from those leftovers, but even if you don’t have smoked salmon and baked potatoes at the ready, a quick trip to the store and 40 minutes or so of baking for the potatoes will put you in the position at the table to enjoy this delicious and easy meal.

The first time I had smoked salmon salad was at a lunch place in Finland called Moko Market.  There are actually two Moko Markets – one in Sörnäinen, where we usually go, and one in Punavuori, the original one.  Apparantly Moko Market started out as a place to sell fun, quirky, good quality new and well-loved, but refurbished household goods. One day the owner decided to start serving lunch, and the lines were immediately out the door on weekdays, with the local business crowds lining up for the good, wholesome, healthy food.  The brunches on Saturdays are pretty amazing too, by the way, so put that on your agenda next time you are in Helsinki.

The salmon salad is part of the salad bar offering: you order the salad and then get to choose three toppings, select your house made dressing and fresh bread, and it’s happy days for the next 20 or 30 minutes as you enjoy the impressive and unique flavors coming out of the kitchen.

The smoked salmon salad is so good; I’ve wanted to try it home for a while.  Here is my version, served over baked potatoes with a side of steamed broccoli.  Be sure to use salmon that has been heat-smoked rather than salmon that has been cold-smoked, otherwise you won’t get the right texture for this salad.

Smoked Salmon Salad and Baked Potatoes

Smoked Salmon Salad & Baked Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.  Wash two baking potatoes but do not peel them.  Oil the outside of the potatoes lightly with olive oil.  Pierce each potato a couple times with a fork.  Place the potatoes on a baking tray in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender and pierced easily with a  butter knife.  If your potatoes are very large, you may need more cooking time (and more smoked salmon salad!) Remove from oven and proceed with the recipe below.

Ingredients:
200g / 8 ounces heat-smoked salmon, cold or at room temperature
1/4 cup minced onion
4-5 teaspoons creme fraiche
2 potatoes, baked (see instructions above)
butter, to serve
fresh ground pepper to serve
lemon wedges, one per person

Combine the smoked salmon, onion and creme fraiche in a medium-sized bowl.  Using a fork, smash and mix the ingredients together so that the salmon breaks down into small pieces and is well combined with the onion and creme fraiche.  Squeeze lemon juice over the top and mix again.

Cut the baked potatoes in the center, leaving the bottom half of the skin intact.  Spread each potato open and, using a fork, fluff up the potato inside each half.  Put a dab of butter on each half of the hot potato, and place a big spoonful of smoked salmon salad in the middle of each potato.

Serve with a lemon wedge and steamed broccoli, and have pepper on the table for those who enjoy a little pepper with their baked potatoes.

Serves 2; double or triple as needed.