Beets with Radicchio and Pickled Blackberries

Pickling fresh fruit adds an extra bit of acidity to the dish. If the berries are nice and tart to start, feel free to skip that step.

Ingredients

1 bu beets, roasted until tender

1 head radicchio

4oz fresh goat cheese

1 shallot

1/3 C red wine vinegar

4oz olive oil

1pt blackberries

1 C water

½ C sugar

1 T salt

½ C sherry vinegar

½ C red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 350F
Toss the beets with a glug of oil and pinch of salt.
Place in an oven proof baking dish and cover with tin foil.
Roast until tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove and allow to cool then rub the skins off.
To make the vinaigrette, mince shallot, add a pinch of salt and red wine vinegar and let sit for 10 min.
Whisk in goat cheese and then olive oil.
Taste and adjust as desired. The vinaigrette should be acidic from the vinegar but not too puckery. Add more olive oil and salt as needed.
To pickle the blackberries, in a small saucepan combine water, sugar and salt.
Heat to dissolve.
Add vinegars and pour over blackberries.
Blackberries will keep, pickled, for a couple of weeks in the fridge (The leftover liquid makes a great base for a dressing or can be combined with soda water for a refreshing beverage.)
To plate, cut the beets into wedges
Cut the radicchio into quarters and remove the core then cut each quarter into thirds
Lay the radicchio petals on the plate
Lay the beets next to the radicchio, resting the beets just on the radicchio for added height
Sprinkle the beets and radicchio with a pinch of salt and turn of pepper
Drizzle with the goat cheese vinaigrette—remember that this is the dressing for the whole lot, so don’t be too skimpy
Dot the plate with the pickled blackberries.